


Waiting Game

by Emospritelet



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blow Jobs, Don't expect it to make sense, F/M, Fingerfucking, Honestly there is no build-up here, Misunderstandings, Oral Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Shameless Smut, Shower Sex, Smut, Wall Sex, make-up sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:25:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9920936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emospritelet/pseuds/Emospritelet
Summary: Lacey is disturbed by a knocking at her college friend Neal Gold's door.  It turns out to be his father come to visit, so she lets Mr Gold into her dorm room to wait for Neal's return.  Smut ensues.  It then gets kind of angsty for a short time.  Not sorry.Winner of Best Angst: Oops! in The Espenson Awards 2018 and Best Swanfire in the Rumbelle Happy Ending Awards 2018





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rowofstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/gifts).



> This is for my wonderful and talented friend @rowofstars, who has been getting some vile anonymous hate because of her love for Lacey. I'm here to spread the Lacey love with some Golden Lace smut!
> 
> This comes from an anonymous prompt submitted to @rumbelleprompts on tumblr :-)

_“Describe the protagonist in three sentences that best capture his character.”_

Lacey chewed the end of her pencil, kicking her feet up behind her.  She was tempted to write _Whiny.  Controlling.  Fuckboy._  That was three sentences, right?  It also captured the asshole’s character to a tee, in her opinion.  Somehow she doubted that such brevity was what her English professor was looking for, and so she sighed and started to scrawl some bollocks about the wanker’s inability to express love due to his neglectful mother.  Like she hadn’t already spent enough of her life making excuses for loser men with commitment issues.

She was halfway through the first sentence when there was a knock on the door next to hers, the room infrequently inhabited by a guy in her year called Neal Gold.  Whoever was knocking was out of luck; since he’d started dating Emma Swan he spent most of his evenings and nights over at her place, which was off-campus.  Dorm rooms didn’t have the best soundproofing.  She’d had to apologise to Neal the morning after one particularly vocal dickhead she’d had the bad taste to bang, but then Emma was kind of loud too, so it evened out between them.  Besides, she liked Neal a lot, and she was glad he was happy.

The knocking came again, and Lacey sighed, throwing down her pencil.  As much as she welcomed an excuse to stop the prep work for class, the noise was irritating.  She pushed herself off the bed and stomped to the door, wrenching it open just as another series of loud knocks started up.

“Can’t you take a hint?” she demanded, and snapped her mouth shut as the visitor looked around.

Lacey knew money when she saw it, and although the guy standing in front of her was only wearing a suit and tie, she could tell that it was one hell of an expensive outfit.  He wasn’t that tall, maybe five-eight if that, but the suit fitted his thin frame perfectly.  His shirt was dark red silk, the tie black, and he was leaning on a gold-handled cane, a thick gold ring on the third finger of his right hand.  Her eyes travelled up to his face, framed by soft-looking hair that fell around his jawline and curled over the jacket collar.  It was brown, turning silver at the temples, and he was watching her with a tiny smile on his face, dark eyes gleaming at her.  

She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.  He looked - dangerous.  Like a gangster, come to make Neal an offer he couldn’t refuse.  She couldn’t decide whether she was scared or turned on.

“I’m looking for Neal Gold,” he said, his voice quiet, but with a slight burr that made her lick her lips.  Yep.  Definitely turned on.

“Yeah?”  She decided to brave it out, and raised an eyebrow, folding her arms.  “He owe you money, or something?”

“I’m his father,” said the man, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

“Oh.”

Well, _that_ was unexpected.  She could kind of see it, now that he mentioned it.  There was something around the eyes.

“He’s with Emma,” she added.  “His girlfriend, you know?  He said something about taking her out for something to eat after class, so I guess that’s where they are.”

“Ah.”  The man - Mr Gold - turned back to the door.  “I don’t suppose you know when he’ll be back?  Walking all the way up here was something of a trial and not one I’d care to repeat.”

“Oh, yeah, the elevator hasn’t worked in months,” she said.  “We’re all kind of used to it now.”

She supposed that if he needed a cane to help him walk, the trek from the parking lot and up the three flights of stairs would be something of a nightmare.  She wondered how he’d injured himself, and whether it would be an interesting story.

“Um…”  She jerked a thumb over her shoulder.  “You could always wait in here until he gets back.  I was about to take a break anyway.”

Mr Gold smiled then, his eyes glinting, and she felt a familiar tug of desire low in her belly.  It probably wasn’t the done thing to lust over your study-buddy’s dad, but this guy was a DILF if ever she’d seen one.  Besides, it wasn’t like she was about to tell Neal.

“That’s kind of you, Miss...?”

“French,” she said, wondering why the hell she was blushing.  “Lacey French.”

“Thank you, Miss French.”

He stepped past her through the doorway, moving with a fluid, sinuous grace that she hadn’t expected from his use of the cane.  She shut it behind them, wishing to hell that she’d cleaned up like she’d told herself she would.  Gold’s eyebrows quirked as he surveyed the items strewn around the room.

“Were you robbed?” he asked mildly, and she glared at him, snatching up discarded clothes and empty plates and waving at the couch.

“Yeah, I’m sure your dorm was a bloody showhome when you were at college,” she muttered, and he chuckled.

“I’m teasing.  Forgive me.”

“No worries.  Let me just - I’ll be right back.  Take a seat.”

She dumped the plates in the sink and ducked past him to put the dirty laundry in her hamper.  Which she had totally meant to do earlier in the week when she didn’t have a sexy silver fox sitting on her couch.  She was pretty sure there was a bra down the back of the cushions, and hoped that he wouldn’t find it.

“You want a drink?” she called, throwing the blankets back over the bed so that it looked less like somewhere that a bunch of raccoons had nested.  “I got beer, or whisky, if you want one.”

“Are you over twenty one?” he asked.

There was a playful tone in his voice that made her almost positive that he was flirting, which was totally okay with her.  He was seated with his hands folded over the handle of the cane.  Slender, elegant hands with long fingers, the nails smooth and clean.  She briefly wondered how it would feel to have him touch her.  Whether he would be good at it.

“What, you think Neal never touches booze?” she said, matching his tone.  “Sorry to disappoint you, but your son and I got shit-faced after midterms and he threw up on my shoes.  You want a drink or not?”

Gold’s smile widened.  “I’ll have what you’re having.”

 _Inappropriate sexual fantasies it is then,_ she thought, and snorted with suppressed laughter.

“Did I say something funny?”

“No, no, it’s - it’s nothing.”   _For fuck’s sake, get it together, Lacey!_

She grabbed two glasses that almost matched, pouring a generous shot of whisky into each, and held one out to him.  Gold laid his cane to the side and took it, and she stood there holding her own drink, oddly nervous.  A droplet of whisky had splashed over the side of the glass, and he captured it with a sweep of a long finger, slipping it into his mouth and sucking it off.  It was enough to give Lacey more inappropriate thoughts about his likely prowess, and she told herself to get a grip.  The guy was probably married anyway.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, and nodded to the couch beside him.  “I don’t bite.”

 _Oh, I fucking bet you do!_  Her blush deepened, and she sat down hurriedly before he could say anything.  She could smell his cologne, his scent.  He smelt rich and dark and powerful, and it made her shudder with excitement.

“So.”  He made that one word sound sinister, as though he were about to tell her what he did to those who disobeyed him, and she squeezed her thighs together, feeling the electricity in the air around them.  “Are you in Neal’s class?”

“We take Psych and Sociology together, but that’s it,” she said, feeling as though she was speaking too quickly.  Feeling short of breath, as though the room was too hot, too airless.

“Ah.”

He took a drink, and she watched his throat bob, the light gleaming on tiny points of fresh stubble on his jawline.  She wondered how he’d taste if she ran her tongue over his skin, and hurriedly threw some of the whisky down her throat to distract herself.  It burned and stung, and she suspected that he thought it was terrible.  No doubt he only drank the good stuff.  Single malt, eighteen years old, aged in sherry casks or some shit.  They drank in silence for a while, and she could feel the gentle buzz as the alcohol started to soak into her, lowering her inhibitions and making reason abandon her entirely.  She didn’t care.

“And what else do you study?” he asked.

“English, mainly,” she said.  “A couple of classes on history and politics.  I’m thinking of going into journalism, but I guess there’s plenty of time to work out what I want to do with my life, right?”

He turned to her a little, looking interested.

“Journalism?” he said.  “Are you going to interview me?  I’ll give you truthful answers, if you’ll give me the same.”

He had a tiny smile on his face, a mischievous light in his eyes, and she raised her chin.

“I’m not sure interviewing works that way,” she said dryly.

“So you want to take something without giving something back?” he asked, and tutted, shaking his head.  “You don’t believe there should be some sort of _quid pro quo_?”

Lacey sent him a flat look.

“I watched _Silence of the Lambs_ , that shit never ends well.”

Gold sucked air in over his teeth.  “Are you asking me if I’m a murderous cannibal?”

“Maybe I’ll save that question for later.”   _Holy shit, don’t think about him eating you, don’t think about him eating you!_

“Are you married?” she asked instead, wishing she could stop blushing, and he shook his head.

“Not for many years.”

“Okay, so what did _you_ do at college?” she asked, and he shrugged.

“I studied law.  Like you I rely on the interpretation and presentation of evidence, and understand that the way you portray something can affect people’s acceptance of that evidence.”

“So you’re a lawyer.”  She could imagine that.

“And a businessman,” he confirmed.  “Contracts are a speciality of mine.”

“Hmm.”  She ran her eyes over him.  “And do you spend a lot of time in strange girls’ dorm rooms?”

He flashed a smile at her.  “Well, you’re the first to invite me in.”

“Good thing you’re not a vampire,” she said immediately, and his grin widened.

“What makes you think I’m not?”

“Guess it sucks that I’m fresh out of crosses and holy water,” she said, shrugging.

“Then it appears you’re in a great deal of trouble,” he said softly.

Lacey wanted to squirm in her seat, her belly clenching.  He watched her over the top of his glass, his eyes unblinking, amber liquid sloshing in the glass as he tipped it back a little.

“Sorry for the rough-as-hell Scotch,” she said apologetically.  “I buy it for medicinal purposes.”

“Such as?”  He took another drink, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Oh, the usual,” she said casually.  “Revving myself up to sleep with someone to ease the sense of loneliness and futility of my life as a college student, and then drinking more to forget what a lousy lay they were.”

Gold’s eyes widened, and then he burst out laughing, making her chuckle in response.

“Is it your taste that’s poor, or their technique?” he asked, amused, and she lifted an admonitory finger.

“Look, I will fully admit to having crappy taste when I’ve had a few drinks, but when a guy uses his hand on you like he’s stuffing a chicken, I totally put the blame on him.”

Gold laughed harder, and Lacey rolled her eyes, wondering why the hell she couldn’t shut up.

“Okay, forget I said that,” she muttered.

“I’m not sure I can, it’s a fascinating mental image.”  He was grinning now.  “I’d like to apologise on behalf of my gender for being such insensitive and unskilled idiots.”

“I don’t think I’ve met a single guy in this place that cares enough to make an effort, you know?” she said, wondering why her tongue wouldn’t stop flapping and saying stuff she knew she’d cringe about the following day.  Obviously it was the Scotch.

“Men are often selfish idiots,” he said.  “Some of us grow out of it.  I hope at least that my son is never the subject of your ire.”

Lacey shrugged.  “I like Neal.  Maybe he’s an exception, I’d have to ask Emma.”

“I must confess that I wasn’t aware that he had a girlfriend,” he said.  “Emma, did you say?”

“She’s nice,” said Lacey.  “They haven’t been together long, but they’ve been pretty inseparable.  It means we study together a bit less, but it’s cool.  Someone for everyone, right?”

He turned to look at her then, dark eyes sweeping over her and seeming to drink in every little thing that she tried to keep hidden.

“I take it you and he never dated?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“Neal’s a great guy,” she said.  “And cute, don’t get me wrong, but we never looked at each other that way.  I like my men…”

She cut off, almost biting her tongue, and he smiled again: a tiny, knowing smirk.

“What?” he asked quietly, and Lacey swallowed.

“Older,” she finished lamely.

Gold’s smile widened, and she saw the flash of a gold tooth, down on his lower jaw.

“Do you, indeed?”

“Yeah.”

She tried to give him her usual bold stare, a stare that had worked well on men in the past, but something about him made her nervous.  Her heart was thumping as she met his eyes, and she drained the last of her whisky.

“What about you?” she asked, somewhat breathlessly.  “What do you - like?”

Gold set his glass down, turning to face her.

“Brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, and an accent you wouldn’t soon forget,” he said quietly, and Lacey licked her lips, her breath quickening.  

Gold’s eyes followed the path of her tongue, and she could see his chest rising and falling beneath the dark red silk.  She wondered how he would feel beneath her hands, whether his body was firm, his skin hot, whether his hair was as soft as it looked.  Sparks seemed to be dancing in the air between them, as though she would light on fire at the touch of his hand, and she felt a surge of need go through her, a desperate desire to feel his body against hers, to have his tongue in her mouth, to feel him inside her.

“You have a beautiful mouth, Miss French,” he said, his voice a low rumble from deep in his chest.  “Would you like me to kiss you?”

“Yes!” she whispered.

Gold sat forward a little, reaching up to cup her cheek with a warm hand.  His thumb stroked over her lower lip, and he bent his head to kiss her, his mouth gently pressing against hers.  She moaned a little, and then he opened her up with his tongue, letting her taste the fire of the whisky and a hint of strong coffee in the softness of his mouth.  Her hands sank into his hair, silky strands wrapping around her fingers, and she let her tongue stroke against his, shifting closer.  He tasted good, and she let her hands wander, sliding down over his shoulders and beneath the jacket that he wore, feeling the firm planes of his chest beneath the silk.  Gold groaned into her mouth, his hands sliding down her back and around to cup her breasts.

Lacey pushed against him, feeling his fingers tighten on her, wanting more from him.  The guy _really_ knew how to kiss, and her mind was thinking wildly about what else someone of his age and experience could do to her.  She pulled her mouth from his, her breath coming hard in her chest, and Gold’s lips followed hers for a moment before he began to kiss down her neck.  It felt incredible, his tongue swirling over tender skin, and she tried to concentrate on forming a coherent sentence.

“You wanna - take this to the bed?” she gasped.   _Close enough._

Gold pulled back a little, gazing at her with eyes grown dark with lust.

“Are you sure?” he asked, and she nodded fervently.  “I don’t have any protection,” he added.

“It’s okay, I do.  Nightstand.”

She kissed him again, and he ran his tongue around the inner walls of her lips, making her heart race.  God, what she wanted him to do with that tongue!  She wriggled in his grip, and Gold released her at once, pulling back and letting her stand and tug him to his feet.  Lacey was momentarily unsure if he could make it to the bed without his cane, but thankfully the distance was only a couple of steps, and he sat down on the end, unbuttoning his jacket and shrugging it off as she dug in the drawer of the nightstand for some condoms.

When she turned back he was unfastening his cufflinks, pushing the gold buttons through the holes in his sleeves before tucking them into his pants pocket.  She straddled him, bending to kiss him before tugging at the knot in his tie, and he plucked at the buttons of her shirt, opening it up.  She hadn’t bothered with a bra, as she hadn’t expected to be going out that evening, and right then she was glad of it.  He bent his head to kiss her breasts, sucking a nipple in between his teeth and making her moan.  She pushed against him, letting her head roll back as he sucked at her, his hands gently pushing the shirt from her shoulders and down her arms.

Lacey tried to concentrate on getting his tie undone, but it was difficult when his tongue was stroking and swirling against her, when all she could think about was how much she wanted him to touch her.  Eventually she gave up, losing herself in the feel of his mouth on her, in the way his hands stroked down her naked back to cup her rear and pull her against him.  She could feel the hardness of him beneath her, and wriggled a little, making him groan.  He let her nipple fall from his lips as he looked up at her, one hand burying itself in her curls and tugging her close for a messy kiss, his lips sliding against hers.  She moaned and writhed, rubbing herself against him, wanting him inside her, and he put a warm hand on her leg, sliding up beneath her skirt, inching over the bare skin of her thigh until his fingertips brushed against the edge of her panties.

Lacey moaned into his mouth, desperate for his touch, knowing she was wet, and that he would soon feel it.  A questing finger slipped beneath the edge of her underwear, stroking against the soft skin, moving closer to where she wanted him most.  She felt it when he first touched the warm fluid that had formed, his finger sliding against her skin, spreading her juices.  He groaned in pleasure, and she pulled her mouth from his with a gasp as he stroked along the tender flesh between her legs.  He pulled his hand away then, and she was about to protest, but then he tugged at the waistband of her panties, shoving his hand down the front, his fingers curling through her flesh and making her let out a tiny cry of pleasure.

Lacey was moving slowly, rocking against his hand, and she moaned loudly as he pushed a finger inside her, sliding in up to the knuckle.  Gold wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her close against him, his mouth on her ear, making her shiver with the feel of his breath.

“You feel so good,” he whispered.  “All wet and silky, my sweet little Lacey.  You make me want to sink into you and fuck you hard.”

“Yes!” she breathed, pushing herself against him, and he added a second finger, thrusting into her.  She moaned as the pad of his thumb grazed her clit, rubbing over her in a slow circle.  

“Fuck, that’s good!” she whispered, and felt him grin as he sank his teeth into her neck.  “Oh!”

“ _That’s_ it!” he purred, his tongue caressing her earlobe.  “Can you come for me, Lacey?”

“Fucking watch me!” she gasped, increasing her pace, and he sat back, grinning up at her as she rode his hand, his other arm tight around her waist.

She was close, she knew it, and she concentrated on long, rhythmic movements.  His fingers were still thrusting and sliding, his thumb circling, and she could feel the sensations building within her, her breath coming hard, blood rushing to her cheeks, to her chest.  She quickened her pace, rubbing against him as she felt the wave rise up through her, and came with a loud cry, throwing her head back and pumping her hips against him.  Gold stroked her as her body jerked, electricity seeming to course through her, and she twitched and moaned, her juices making his hand slippery.  Eventually he pulled his hand from her, inspecting his glistening fingers.  Lacey collapsed on his shoulder, breathing hard, and heard him sucking the taste of her from his hand.

“Wow,” she murmured.  “Definitely no chicken-stuffing here.”

Gold chuckled.  “I’m immensely glad to hear it.  Are you alright?”

“Think so.”  She pushed herself upright again, blinking sleepily at him.

“Good,” he said.  “Because now I rather want to taste you properly.  Take your panties off.  And the skirt.”

He helped her stand, and she slipped off the sodden panties, kicking them out of the way and dropping the short skirt.  Gold patted his lap, getting her to straddle him again, and then lay back on the bed, putting his hands on her thighs.

“Come here,” he whispered, tugging at her.

Intrigued, Lacey shifted forwards, moving up his body with her knees either side of him.  When she got to his shoulders, he lifted her for a moment, until her knees were either side of his head.  She braced her hands on the headboard, feeling him kiss her inner thighs, her heart thumping with excitement, and let out a moan of pleasure as his tongue swept over her wet flesh.

“Oh, God!” she moaned, and he let out a low chuckle.

He felt incredible, his tongue soft and wet against her skin, and she gripped the headboard, her breath coming in pants as he licked at her.  He was moaning in pleasure, a deep, bass rumble of enjoyment at the taste of her, and somehow that was almost as arousing as the feel of him, as the rhythm of his tongue against her clit.

“God, you taste good!” he whispered.  “I can taste the cum in you, Lacey.  I want you to come again.  I want you to come in my mouth so I can drink you down.”

She moaned, her hips rocking as he licked at her, his tongue swirling and rubbing and sending her close to the edge.  Her breathing became rapid and shallow, her muscles tightening as she neared climax, and suddenly he rubbed against her with the flat of his tongue and she broke with a cry, her hips bucking as she came hard.  Gold grasped her hips, tugging her against his mouth with a groan of pleasure as he sucked the cum from her, his tongue seeking out every drop of her bliss.

Gasping for breath, her body tingling and heavy and loose, Lacey sagged against the headboard, and Gold pressed kisses to her inner thighs and lifted her with gentle hands, pushing at her until she moved down the bed.  She rolled onto her back, an arm over her eyes, naked and sticky, and was dimly aware of a tugging noise, the whisper of silk.  She lifted her arm, and saw Gold pulling off his tie and throwing it to the side.  His fingers flicked open the buttons at the neck of his shirt, and after a moment she reached up to help, plucking them open and revealing the smooth skin of his chest.  He was grinning at her, the ends of his hair sticky with her juices, the skin of his face and hands heavy with the scent of her, and she pushed the shirt from his shoulders, revealing wiry arms and a thin, but solid chest, the nipples flat and dark against his skin.

Gold knelt up, dropping his hands to the belt of his pants, and Lacey reached to the side to grab one of the condoms she had found.  She tore it open as he unbuckled his belt with a clink of metal and pushed down his pants and underwear in one, almost slithering out of them to lie between her legs, his arms braced to either side of her, his hair hanging in her face.  Lacey reached between them and gripped him, feeling the hard heat of him as she rolled on the condom, and she was pleased to see him grit his teeth at her touch, as though he was trying to exercise some self-control.  He felt good in her hand, heavy and thick, and she felt her muscles clench, wanting him inside her.

“Ready?” he whispered, and she nodded, settling back in the pillows as she lined them up.

He sank into her slowly, groaning as he did so, and she arched up to meet him with a cy of pleasure at the feel of him, the sensation of him pushing deep, stretching her, filling her.  She lifted her knees, wrapping her legs around him as he began to move, his thrusts long and slow, his hips grinding in a circle.  He was rubbing against her, bringing her up once more, and she almost laughed as she thought of the nights she’d wasted on sex that had been at best mediocre, and at worst bloody awful.

He bent his head to kiss her, and she could taste salt on his tongue, the taste of her own pleasure, a musky sweetness on his breath.  His hands stroked her hair, thumbs tucking beneath her jaw and tilting her head back a little so that he could draw his tongue up her throat, and she moaned as he bit down into her neck, his tongue sweeping over the heavy throb of her pulse.  She let her fingers push through his hair, gripping him with her thighs, and he was thrusting deep and hard, his groans low and rhythmic.  She could feel herself nearing her peak, and she clung to him, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she prepared to come for the third time since he had kissed her.  Older guys, she decided, kicked fucking _ass_!

* * *

Emma and Neal made the journey up the three flights of stairs somewhat wearily, the two beers each had drunk making their legs feel more tired than they should.

“Told you we should have stopped for chips and dip,” said Emma.  “The tacos were pretty good, but you know we’ll be hungry later.”

“I’ve got chips,” said Neal, his arm slung casually around her shoulders.  “We’ve got some beers, we’ve got Netflix to scroll through…  I think we’re set.”

“Okay, but I’m not going out again,” she said, shoving him with her hip.  “If you get the midnight munchies, you’re on your own, buddy.”

“Things get too desperate, I could always ask Lacey for some of her emergency cookie stores,” he offered, as they turned into the corridor of his dorm room.  Almost immediately, they heard a series of moans coming from the room next to his.

“Oh, man!” groaned Emma.  “Well, I guess we can kiss bye-bye to the cookies, right?  Lacey sounds kinda busy.”

“A school night, too,” said Neal.  “She told me she was studying this evening.”

“Maybe the homework’s for anatomy,” suggested Emma, with a grin, and he snorted in amusement as he unlocked the door to his room.

They could still hear the noises from inside, albeit a little fainter, and Emma grumbled, turning on the TV to try and drown out Lacey’s cries.

“Usually we only hear the guy,” she remarked.  “Either she’s faking it, or she found someone who knows what the hell he’s doing, for a change.”

“Lacey doesn’t believe in faking it,” said Neal, pawing through his food cupboard.

“Yeah?” said Emma.

“Uh-huh.  Part of a drunken conversation in which she told me a bunch of stuff I was hoping the alcohol would delete from my brain.”

“Oh.  Well, good for her.”  Emma threw herself onto the couch and started flicking through TV channels.

* * *

Lacey cried out as she came, her nails raking furrows in Gold’s back.  She pumped against him, colours bursting in her vision as waves of pleasure crashed through her, and Gold groaned in response, thrusting deep into her.  She could feel his muscles tightening beneath her fingers, his body shaking a little as he neared his own climax, and she clamped down on him, squeezing him, wanting to pull him over the edge with her.  He came with a long, loud groan, pulsing inside her, and she pressed kisses to his neck and across the top of his chest, stroking her tongue over his skin to taste the salt of his sweat.

Eventually he stilled, a final, long breath shuddering out of him, and she unwrapped her legs from around his back, her body aching pleasantly.  He kissed her neck, his mouth hot and loose on her skin, his fresh stubble a sharp, pleasant rasp against her.  She pushed her face into his hair, breathing in the scent of him, of her, of their mingled pleasure.

“That was incredible,” she said softly, and felt him grin against her neck.

He pushed himself up on his elbows, looking down at her with eyes grown soft with contentment, the darkness gone from him.

“Yes,” he agreed, and kissed her again.

* * *

Emma and Neal had jammed pillows over their ears for the big finish from the room next door, and had then gotten a fit of the giggles over it.  Thankfully there were no more noises, and after half an hour or so they finished their first beers and reached for the second.

“Are _we_ that loud?” asked Emma.

“You are,” said Neal, with a smirk, and she hit him with a pillow.

“I’m serious!”

“So am I.  You almost burst my eardrum one time.”

Emma rolled her eyes.

“Poor Lacey, having to listen to us,” she snickered.  “We should probably spend more nights at my place.”

“Your roommate hates me,” said Neal, and she wrinkled her nose.

“She does not, she looks at everyone like that.  Lily’s great when you get to know her.”

Neal got up to rummage in one of the cupboards again.

“Man, I can’t find those damn chips!” he complained, and Emma groaned.

“What did I tell you?” she demanded.  “Chips and dip, Neal.  The store was _right there_!”

“It’s cool, I got it,” he sighed.  “It’s been pretty quiet next door, right?  I’m guessing it’s safe to knock and ask for emergency snacks.”

“Probably,” she agreed, and grinned at him.  “Wait up, I want to see who the stud is.”

He shot her a look, making her giggle, and wrenched open the door to his room, knocking on Lacey’s with four sharp raps as Emma joined him.  Lacey opened the door, looking more dishevelled than usual in an oversized football jersey that he knew she slept in.  A man was just behind her, fastening the cuffs of his shirt, and Lacey’s mouth fell open as she came face to face with Emma and Neal.  Neal blinked as he recognised her visitor.

“Dad?  What the hell are you..?”

Gold turned with a start, grasping at the handle of his cane to keep his balance, a look of sudden panic on his face.  

“Uh-oh,” said Lacey, biting back a grin.

Neal looked from Gold to Lacey, eyes widening in horror as realisation dawned.

“Holy fucking _crap_ ,” said Emma bluntly.

“Neal,” said Gold weakly.  “I - I was just…”

Neal lifted a hand, as though he could ward off the vision in front of him.

“Never, ever tell me,” he muttered, and ducked back into his room.

Emma snorted with laughter and followed him, leaving Gold and Lacey staring at the open door.

“Well, fuck,” said Gold.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... Okay, so I love these two and I couldn't stop thinking about them and I had to write a second part. And a third, if I'm honest :)
> 
> Enjoy the non-angsty smut, it's not something I often do

Gold shut the door of the dorm room, turning to Lacey with a rueful grin.

“Well, that was awkward,” he remarked.  “I should probably talk to him.”

“Sure,” said Lacey, pretending indifference.  “I guess I’ll see you around.”

She was surprised to find that she cared that he was going so soon.  She was used to guys fucking and leaving, and most of the time it was a relief, but for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, the fact that he was leaving caused a tiny, stabbing pain in her gut.  He picked up his jacket, drawing it on and buttoning it, watching her.  His hair was messy, the ends still damp from having his head between her legs, and she looked away, scrabbling for a brush and holding it out to him.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, and began brushing his hair, the long strands soon neat and soft and shining.  He held the brush out to her.  A few of his hairs were caught in the bristles, one silver strand curling over the edge.  The tip of his tongue swept over his lower lip as he looked at her.

“Would you like to come to dinner?” he asked, and she started, looking up at him in surprise.

“Now?” she asked, and he shrugged.

“If you like.  I was going to ask Neal and his girlfriend.  Peace offering of sorts.”

“Give me five minutes,” she said, and he nodded, opening the door and leaving the room to knock on Neal’s door.  Lacey grinned.

* * *

Neal and Emma had shot back into his dorm after their unfortunate discovery that the man causing Lacey’s cries of pleasure had been none other than his father, and Emma couldn’t stop giggling.

“Oh, _man_ , that’s gotta freak you out!” she chuckled, as Neal looked pained, running a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, I don’t want to even think about it,” he grumbled.  “I _heard_ him, Emma!  Have you any idea how gross that is?”

“Actually, yeah,” she confessed, wrinkling her nose.  “I walked in on my parents once.  Scarred for life.”  She grinned.  “Hey, but Lacey sounded like she was having a lot of fun!  You should be proud of him!”

“Okay, I can’t hear you!”  Neal put his hands over his ears just as there was a knock at the door.

“Neal?”  His father’s voice made him groan.  “Please let me in.”

“I bet that’s what he said to Lacey,” said Emma, in a loud whisper, and Neal glared at her as she stuffed her hands over her mouth.  The knocking came again.

“Look, I know you must be mad, but can I come inside?”

Eyes sparkling with amusement, Emma opened her mouth, but Neal wagged a finger.

“Don’t you dare make my mind go there!” he warned, and opened up the door.

Gold stood on the other side, looking a little sheepish, but he was at least fully dressed.

“I’m sorry, son,” he said sincerely.  “I never meant for you to see that.”

“It wasn’t so much what we saw, Dad,” said Neal.  “God, the two of you made enough noise to wake the dead!”

Gold blinked.  “Ah.”

“But I guess you weren’t to know how thin the walls are,” sighed Neal, standing aside to let him in.  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I thought we kind of heard that…” began Emma, and cut off at Neal’s exasperated glare, sniggering to herself.

“I tried to call,” explained Gold, seemingly oblivious to Emma’s teasing.  “I kept getting your voicemail.”

“Oh.”  Neal dug in his jeans pocket for his phone.  “Yeah, I forgot.  Turned it to silent in class.”

“Anyway, I had business in the area, so I came up a day early,” continued Gold.  “I thought we could have dinner.  You’re both welcome, of course.”  He smiled at Emma.

“Oh.”  Neal shuffled his feet.  “We kind of already ate.”  He jumped as Emma elbowed him.  “But I guess we could eat again.”

“Excellent,” said Gold, breaking into a smile.  “Why don’t I go and get the car, bring it around to the front?”  I’ll see you downstairs.”

He turned back to the door, his cane tapping on the wooden boards.

“Is Lacey coming?” blurted Neal, and Gold swivelled to face him.

“Yes,” he said.  “Is that alright?”

Neal shrugged.  “I guess.”

“Good.  Then I’ll see you in five minutes or so.”

He went out, and Neal and Emma shared a glance.

“Hey, at least he’s buying her dinner after the screaming orgasms,” said Emma.  “Can’t fault his manners.”

Neal sighed, and turned off the TV.

“If they start pawing each other in the restaurant I may drown myself in the men’s room,” he muttered.

A hurried knocking at the door made them look around, and Neal opened it up, Lacey trotting into the room as she was twisting her hair up into a messy knot on the top of her head.  She had changed into a tight black dress above black heels, a small, fitted leather jacket covering her arms.  There were red marks on her neck, which Neal was trying hard not to notice.

“Hey,” she said, seemingly unfazed by the two of them having heard her in the throes of passion.  “You guys are coming to dinner, right?”

“Looking forward to it,” said Neal dryly.  “You know, if you can manage not to screw my dad for the space of an evening.”

Lacey snorted.

“Look mate, I’m promising sweet fuck-all on that front,” she said, tossing her head, and sashayed out, Emma’s snicker of amusement following her.

* * *

Gold drove them to an Italian restaurant in the centre of the city, securing a booth for four by the window.  Lacey slid into the seat next to him and opposite Emma, with Neal opposite Gold.  She could feel Gold’s knee pressed against hers, and the memory of what he had done to her, and what he would do again if she had any say in the matter, was making her heart thump in her chest.

“What shall we have?” mused Gold, running his eyes over the menu.

“I’m in the mood for sausage,” said Lacey.

“Yeah, we heard,” remarked Emma, and she and Lacey both snickered.

“Oh God…”  Neal buried his head in his menu.  “What about you, Dad?”

“Hmm.”  Gold pursed his lips.  “I don’t know.  Something creamy....”

Lacey met Emma’s amused stare, both of them trying not to giggle.

“Have the carbonara,” said Neal, his voice strained.  “It’s pretty good.  I’m going with pizza.”

“Yeah, I’ll share,” agreed Emma.  “Not that hungry after the tacos.”

“Okay, I’ve decided,” said Lacey.  “Rigatoni with sausage ragu.  And garlic bread, if you guys want some.”

“Sounds good.”  Neal put down his menu, and Gold raised a hand to summon the waiter.

They chatted as they waited for the food, Gold asking polite questions of Emma about her studies, and Neal trying to ignore the innuendos that his girlfriend seemed to innocently drop into the conversation.  Lacey took a sip of her Coke, sucking it through a straw, and Gold’s hand dropped to land on her thigh, a warm, comforting weight.  Her legs were bare, and she could feel callouses at the base of his fingers, rough patches on his fingertips.  She bit back a tiny hum of pleasure at his touch.

“What about you, Mr Gold?” said Emma, flicking back her blonde hair.  “Neal says you’re a lawyer.”

“That’s right,” said Gold, his hand stroking slowly upwards.  “Contracts and litigation, in the main.”  His fingers slipped beneath her skirt, gently brushing against the edge of her underwear, and Lacey sucked in a breath, pressing her lips together.

“Uh-huh.”  Emma took a drink, batting her eyes innocently.  “I guess you must handle a lot of briefs.”

Lacey closed her eyes, trying not to laugh.

“A few,” said Gold calmly, one finger slipping beneath the edge of her underwear.  She bit the inside of her cheeks to keep from moaning.

“Hey Dad, do you mind if we sneak to the store across the road?” asked Neal.  “I just wanna get some chips and dip for later, before they close.”

“Oh, so _now_ you listen to me,” said Emma, giving him a flat look, and he rolled his eyes and nudged her.

“You gonna come?” he asked, and she nodded, shrugging on her jacket.

“Don’t eat until we get back, you guys,” she said, winking at Lacey.

“Of course not,” said Gold.

Neal and Emma slid off their seats, trotting out of the restaurant.  Lacey watched them cross the street to the deli opposite, Gold’s finger still stroking the soft skin of her outer lips while his eyes studied the other diners.  She licked her lips, highly aroused.  She could feel the electricity between them again, that pull of desire, of need.  She let her hand snake across his thigh, riding higher, sliding on the thin, fine wool of his suit pants.  Her fingers brushed his groin, feeling the hardness of him, and Gold made a tiny noise low in his throat, almost a growl.  Grinning to herself, she used her thumb to turn the ring on her middle finger until the heavy red stone on it was facing downwards, and let her hand cup his groin, the ring pressing against his cock.

His finger pushed inside her underwear a little more, sliding through the wetness he found there, and she bit her lip to stop from moaning, closing her eyes for a moment.  He was still staring straight ahead, as though he was bored, and she tried to emulate him, sliding her hand so that her ring ran up and down the length of his cock.  Gold’s breath seemed to catch in his throat.

“You fucking minx!” he whispered, and she shivered with pleasure, his finger grazing her clit and making her suck in a breath.

“So, d’you want to fuck me in the bathroom, or what?” she asked, and he let out a low chuckle.

“My my, in a family restaurant?” he said, amused.  “I rather think we might be disturbed a little too often.”

Lacey pursed her lips, glancing at him.  

“There’s a cleaner’s closet next to the bathroom, how about that?”

Gold leaned in to whisper in her ear, his cool breath making her shiver.

“How about you come back to my place,” he murmured, “and I take my time finding every way to make you come that I can think of?”

Lacey closed her eyes, her lips parting, and she could feel that he wanted to kiss her, to touch her.  She flicked her eyes open, staring into his.

“How about both?” she whispered.

“Okay, we’re back!”  Neal slid into the seat opposite, a paper bag containing large packets of chips by him.  Emma sat beside him, grinning at Lacey.

“You guys managed to entertain yourselves without us?” she asked cheerfully.  “Good job.”

“Thanks,” said Lacey flatly, trying not to shudder as Gold’s finger slipped against her.  “Since you guys are back, I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”

She slipped off the seat, tugging her skirt straight and casting Gold a heated glance over her shoulder as she left.  Her heart was thumping hard in her chest, excitement rising within her, and she licked her lips in anticipation as she pushed open the glass door that led to the corridor housing the bathrooms.  A quick peek into the ladies’ room showed that Gold was correct; two women were applying lipstick, while a third was coaxing a child to wash her hands at one of the the sinks.  Lacey ducked out again, cursing her luck, and almost bumped into Gold, cane in hand.

“Closet,” she said firmly, and opened the door between the bathrooms, tugging him in after her.  Gold shut the door quickly as Lacey groped for the light switch.

“There!” she said excitedly, pushing aside a mop bucket with her foot, and Gold raised an eyebrow at her.

“You’re not serious?” he asked, amused.  “When I have a lovely king-sized bed just waiting for me to ravish you in?”

“Yeah, well I can’t wait, so kiss me!”

She lunged at him, lifting her head to catch his lips with hers, and he growled something indistinct, his hands sliding up her body to cup her as his tongue pushed inside her mouth.  He rocked back against the door, and he grunted a little at the impact, his hands squeezing her and making her moan.  She let her tongue stroke against his, moaning into his mouth as his thumbs rubbed over her nipples beneath the dress she wore.  Gold let a hand slide down her body, bending a little to reach beneath her skirt, and pulled his mouth from hers to kiss down her neck.  She let her head roll back with a moan.

“Oh, you were so wet when I touched you, Lacey,” he whispered.  “So soft and silky-wet.  All ready for me.  Are you ready now?”

“Yes!” she gasped, and felt the warmth of his palm as it slid slowly up her thigh beneath the skirt.  His fingers pushed beneath the edge of her panties, and he growled against her throat as he felt the wetness of her.  Lacey moaned again, pushing herself against him, and he slipped a finger inside her, pushing deep.  She reached down between his legs, palming his cock through the pants of his suit, and he let out a hiss of breath as she stroked him.

 _“Fuck!”_ he said, through his teeth, and Lacey’s mouth fell open with a tiny cry as he pushed a second finger inside her, this thumb rubbing over her clit.

She wanted him inside her, but that wasn’t going to be easy in the cramped space, and she had no pockets in the dress, so no condom either.  Still, she was determined that neither of them would be leaving the closet without taking their pleasure, and so she tugged at his belt, opening it up with a flick of her wrist and unbuttoning his pants.  Gold let his fingers slip from her, his hand soaked with her juices, and she kissed him as she reached inside his underwear, freeing his cock and sinking to her knees before him.  He was hard and hot, and she could smell herself on him from their earlier activities, her scent mixed with his in the musky warmth of his groin, and she glanced up at him, watching him breathing raggedly before she bent forwards and took him in her mouth.

Gold let his head roll back against the door with a dull thump, groaning as her mouth slid down onto him, and Lacey sucked hard, her tongue wrapping around him, tasting the salty fluid that formed at the tip, letting her lips slide over him.  His fingers cradled her head, gently brushing over her skin and the nape of her neck, and she looked up at him from beneath her eyelids, her cheeks hollowing around him and making him grit his teeth.

“Fuck, sweetheart, that’s good!” he gasped.  “Come here!”

She let him slip from her mouth, and he pulled her to her feet, turning them both and pushing her back against the door.  He was almost frenzied in his movements, and it was exciting, her heart thumping, her breath panting.  Growling under his breath, his hand dropped to grasp her leg, pulling it up so that she could wrap it around his and open up to him.  He tugged her panties to the side, taking his cock in his hand and pushing it up against her, rubbing the head of it along her wet folds and making her moan.

“There!” he whispered, his chest pressing against her, until it felt as though she was drowning in the scent of him.  “Is that what you want?”

The hard length of his cock rubbed against her, the head running over her clit in a slow rhythm, and she thought she was going to burst, her cheeks flushing as sensations built within her.  His free hand kneaded her breast, and she moaned and pushed up against him, wanting him.  Wanting him inside her.

“Please!” she breathed.  “Oh God, please!”

Gold kissed her neck, his tongue sweeping over her.

“I didn’t bring any protection,” he said, and she shook her head.

“Just a little,” she pleaded.  “I - I need to feel you.  I need you to fuck me!”

He let out a rumble of pleasure, and the pace and angle of his thrusts changed a little, the head dipping inside her once, twice, three times before he pushed all the way in with a loud groan.  Lacey let out a cry, her fingers sinking into his hair as he thrust inside her, the angle increasing the friction of his body against hers.  He was rubbing against her, sliding and pushing and thrusting, and it was too much to bear.  Blood pounded in her head, her body tingling, and she came hard, biting down on her own wrist to stifle her cries.  She could feel herself clenching around him, gripping him hard, and Gold groaned and slipped out of her, one hand dropping to pump himself until he came, whitish fluid squirting onto the pale skin of her thigh.

Lacey sank back against the door, trying to catch her breath, feeling as though her skin was covered in dancing sparks, and he staggered back a little before she grabbed his tie and pulled him close for a hot, wet kiss.

“Fuck, that was incredible!” she murmured, her lips sliding against his, and he grinned against her, his hands tucking and zipping and buckling his belt as his tongue stroked hers.  Eventually he pulled back, running a hand through his hair and reaching for his cane.  His fingers dipped into the breast pocket of his jacket, and he flourished the silk handkerchief there.

“Here,” he said.  “I think I made a bit of a mess.”

“I plan on making a lot more later,” she chuckled, taking it from him to wipe his seed from her thigh.  “That’s if you - well, if you still want me to come back with you.”

Gold shot her a twisted little smile.

“Oh, yes,” he said, and she bit her lip, blushing a little at the thought of what they might do.  Gold reached up to tuck a curl of hair behind her ear, an almost affectionate brush of his fingertips.

“We’ve been in here too long,” he said, and she nodded, straightening her underwear.  

“Right,” she said.  “I was in the bathroom, there was a queue - you know how the ladies’ room gets, right?”

“Not sure what my excuse will be, but alright,” he remarked, and took a step back so that she could turn and open the door.

The corridor was thankfully empty, and Lacey smoothed the skirt of her dress and slipped out, not looking to see if he followed her.  Neal and Emma watched her with narrowed eyes as she went to sit down, and she shot them a bright smile.

“Oh great, my food!” she said, looking at the plate of pasta in front of her.

“Excuse me, please.”  Gold stepped up to the booth, and Lacey stood up to let him sit down.  He reached for his napkin and took some care spreading it across his lap.

“You guys took your time,” said Emma, with a knowing grin.

“Oh - yeah, there was kind of a queue,” said Lacey casually, shifting in her seat as fluids pooled in her underwear.

“Same in the men’s room,” added Gold, with a bland expression, and Lacey bit back a snort of laughter.

Emma and Neal glanced at one another, and Emma gave a tiny nod.

“You were in the cleaning closet, weren’t you?” said Neal, in an accusatory tone.

“What?” asked Gold, looking bemused.  “I told you, I had to go to the bathroom.”

“Yeah, so did I,” said Neal pointedly.  “And I didn’t see _you_ , Dad, but I _did_ hear weird noises coming from the closet next to the men’s room.”

“Ah,” said Gold, smoothing his napkin again.  

Lacey giggled, and Neal rolled his eyes, looking pained.

“I don’t believe this crap!” he complained.  “Am I gonna be able to get through the rest of this evening without hearing you two screwing again?”

“As long as you don’t get a room at his hotel, I guess,” said Lacey, with a shrug, and Neal groaned and let his head fall forward onto his folded arms.  Emma patted his shoulder comfortingly.

“Sorry,” said Gold, looking anything but, and grinned as he picked up his wine.


	3. Chapter 3

Lacey sat through a dinner that started out somewhat awkwardly, with Neal glowering at his father and Gold trying to coax him to talk about his classes, or music, or basically to focus on anything other than the fact that Gold and Lacey had been fooling around in a public place.  She felt a little bad for Neal, and told herself she’d be more circumspect in future.  The situation was saved by Emma, who seemed to find the entire thing hilarious, and subtly teased all three of them until Neal started laughing.  Lacey got the feeling that Gold liked Emma very much.

Gold drove them back to the university buildings afterwards, and Emma picked up the bag of chips and dip as she shuffled off the back seat and winked at Lacey.

“Thanks for dinner, Dad,” said Neal.  “I - um - I guess I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll be up in a few weeks,” said Gold, one hand on the wheel.  “You take care, now.”

“Yeah, you too.”  Neal eyed Lacey, who hadn’t moved from her position in the passenger seat, and she grinned at him.

“You two have a nice quiet night!” she said cheerfully, and he rolled his eyes, looking reluctantly amused.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll see you in class,” he said, and held up a hand, wrinkling his nose.  “Don’t - don’t bother giving me an account of what you get up to, I’m not interested.”

“I am,” piped up Emma, and snickered as Neal gave her a flat look.

“See you tomorrow, nerds,” said Lacey, and stuck out her tongue.  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, that list’s getting shorter by the day,” said Neal dryly, and put his arm around Emma as they turned away.

Lacey grinned to herself as she turned back, settling herself in the seat.  She glanced across at Gold, to see him staring at her.

“Do you still want to come back with me?” he asked.  “You don’t have to, you know.  If you have early class I’d understand if you wanted to get home.”

“Oh, I do have early class,” she assured him.  “But I think I can take one late night this week.”

“Very well.”

He turned the car, heading out of the university grounds and back into the centre of the city.  Lacey watched out of the window as the Cadillac purred along, the streetlamps and the lights from restaurant windows sending pools of light out across the darkened streets.  Eventually, Gold pulled up outside a swish looking hotel, and she stared with round eyes at the carpet leading up the steps, and the liveried doorman that hurried to open her car door.

“Good evening ma’am,” he said, and Lacey bit back a laugh.

“Hey there!” she said brightly.  “Hope your night’s as good as mine’s about to be!”

The doorman blinked at her owlishly, then returned her smile, ducking his head as Gold stepped past with a nod and tucked a bill into his pocket.  Lacey trotted by his side, looking around with wide eyes as they entered the lavish hotel lobby, all polished marble and glass and patterned carpets.  Gold strode swiftly towards the elevator, and Lacey slipped in beside him, watching as he pressed the button for floor twenty-one at the very top.  The doors slid shut, and she turned to him with a grin.

“Alone at last,” she said, and Gold lifted a hand to cup her cheek, kissing her gently.  She opened her mouth for him, letting his tongue slide inside just as the elevator drew to a gentle stop, and Gold pulled back.

“Here we are,” he said quietly, and gestured to the open door.

Lacey stepped out first, waiting for him to walk in front of her and along the corridor to suite number nine.  Gold opened the door with a touch of his keycard, and Lacey followed him through, head flicking from side to side as he turned on the lights.

“Whoa!” she said.  “Nice place!”

The hotel suite was spacious and warm, with thick rugs on the polished wooden floor, a couch and chair upholstered in deep brown leather and a glass coffee table in front.  The decor was cream, the table, chairs and desk polished wood, and there was a large television on the wall opposite the couch, a drinks cabinet and selection of cut crystal glasses beneath it.  She opened the door to the bedroom, and ran her eyes over the kingsize bed with its crisp white sheets, the dresser and chair, and the door off to the left, which she presumed led to the bathroom.  Excited, she put her head around the door, and saw a large, glass-screened shower cubicle and a bath on a pedestal that was long enough for her to lie down in.  The whole place reeked of opulence, and she wondered how much money Gold had.  Enough, it seemed.  She very much doubted that Neal would have any student debt following him around after college, like she would.

When she went back into the lounge, Gold was putting down the phone, and turned to flash her a grin.

“I ordered us a bottle of champagne,” he said.  “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Fine with me,” she said.  “This place is _awesome_!”

His grin widened, and she slipped off her jacket, throwing it over the back of the couch.  Gold took off his own jacket, and went into the bedroom, presumably to hang it up.  Lacey poked around the lounge, looking through the collection of drinks in the cabinet and running her hand over the leather cushions of the couch.

“Do you stay here a lot?” she asked, when he came back through.

“When I can,” he said.  “Since I expanded my business, I find it brings me to Boston on a reasonably regular basis.  New York less often.”

She looked over her shoulder at him.  “So - you might be back at some point?”

Gold’s mouth quirked in a brief smile.  “Oh, in a few weeks, I expect.”

“Good.”  She sauntered over to him and slipped her arms around his neck.  “Because this is the most kick-ass evening I’ve had in awhile.”

His grin widened, and he bent his head to kiss her.  Lacey stretched up on her toes, moaning into his mouth, and he put his hands on her waist, turning her and pushing her against the door with a thump, his lips opening up her own, his tongue finding hers.  He tasted of the rich sweetness of the panna cotta they had eaten, and she sighed in pleasure, letting her hands slide up his waist and around his back as they kissed.  His hands stroked over her curves, cupping her breasts through the thin dress, sliding into the hollow of her waist and out over her hips.

Lacey tugged him close, feeling the hard length of him press against her belly, and he groaned a little, one hand dipping beneath the hem of the dress.  She could feel his touch on her inner thigh, fingertips sending shivers through her, and she moaned again as he found her underwear, already wet from his earlier attentions.  One finger slipped inside, stroking against her, and then another, pushing up inside her, this thumb rubbing and circling.  Gold pulled his mouth from hers, kissing down her neck, his tongue flickering over her skin, his breath hot on her ear.

“I want to get inside you, Lacey,” he whispered.  Teeth nipped at her earlobe.  “I want to peel this little dress from you and fuck you hard.”

She moaned again, fingers digging into his sides, one leg sliding up his to hook around his thigh, but a knock at the door behind her made her straighten up, panting a little as Gold withdrew his fingers and pushed back, his eyes fixed on hers.  The knock came again.

“A moment,” he called, and slipped his fingers into his mouth before stepping back, letting Lacey move away from the door and catch her breath.

A small cart holding an ice bucket, a bottle of champagne, and a silver dish of strawberries was pushed into the room by a member of the hotel staff, and Gold thanked him, digging into his pocket for a tip and wishing the man a pleasant evening, before closing and locking the door after him.  He turned to Lacey, a dark gleam in his eyes, and she felt her breath catch.

“Well, then,” he whispered.  “Shall we go into the bedroom?”

He held out a hand, and she took it, her belly fluttering with excitement.

“I think I want to take a shower first,” she said, and he smiled.

“Help yourself.”

Lacey kicked off her shoes, letting her hips swing as she walked into the bedroom and through to the bathroom.  She turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature and letting it run before going back into the bedroom.  Gold had closed the door and was taking off his cufflinks, so she stripped off the dress and her underwear, tossing them aside and padding into the bathroom.  Steam was rising up from inside the shower, sending the room into soft-focus, and she squeaked in surprise as she felt a hand on her shoulder, Gold having joined her.  A glance back showed that he was still mostly dressed, his cuffs loose, shirt unbuttoned at the throat and his shoes and socks off.

“I thought I might join you,” he said, and she grinned, pulling away.

“Me first,” she announced, and slipped inside the shower, shutting the glass door behind her and grinning out at him, his face and figure distorted by rivulets of water cascading down the glass.

“Difficult for me to get clean out here,” he remarked, raising his voice a little to be heard over the running water.

“Good, I like you dirty!” she called, and grinned as he laughed.

She found a miniature bottle of shower gel, and began lathering some in her hands.  It smelt of grapefruit and fresh mint, and she began to soap herself, washing her face and neck.  Gold watched her through the glass door, and she could see him unbuttoning the shirt he wore.  She rinsed the last of the soap from her face, pouring more gel into her hands and lathering up.

“You’re teasing me,” he observed, as she turned around, and Lacey grinned to herself.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said innocently.

She began soaping her breasts, rubbing in circles, bubbles flowing over her fingers, and Gold growled, making her belly tighten.

“Let me in, Miss French,” he rasped.

“In a moment,” she said.  “When I’m clean.”

She pressed herself against the shower screen, squashing her breasts against the glass, and he put his hands over them on the other side, the shirt hanging loose.  She looked out at him, the rivulets of water distorting his face through the glass, and it was as though she could hear his heavy breath and feel the heat of his skin against hers.  She reached up, tracing the outline of his face on the glass, and his eyes followed her finger, his gaze hungry.

“Let me in, sweetheart,” he whispered, and she smiled. _Sweetheart, huh?_  Oh, she liked that!

She took a step back, opening up the glass door, and he ran his eyes over her as he shrugged off the shirt and unbuckled his belt.  Lacey poured more shower gel, working it into a lather and spreading it over her belly and down her thighs.  She could smell him as he stepped into the shower beside her with one hand braced against the wall, a heady male scent that made her abdomen clench.  Gold pushed the glass door shut and bent his head to kiss her, and she pressed herself against him, water pouring over them, feeling the hard heat of him against her belly and wanting him inside her.  He pushed her back against the cool slate tiles, his lips sliding against hers, water running into her mouth as they kissed, and his hand slid between her legs, his thumb rubbing at her.

Lacey moaned, lifting a leg and wrapping it around his waist, and he pushed a finger inside her, his mouth sliding against hers, lips pulling free and kissing down her neck.  He bit down, making her cry out, and began to thrust with his fingers, rubbing over her clit.  She clung to him, fingers digging into the flesh of his shoulders as clouds of steam rose around them, her cheeks flushing as he worked her.

“ _Fuck_ , that’s amazing!” she gasped, as sensations flooded through her.

She felt him grin against her neck, his fingers curling inside her, and let her head roll back against the tiles with a loud moan as he stroked and thrust and pushed.  Stars burst in her head as she came with a cry, her legs trembling, his mouth ravaging her neck.  She wrapped her arms around his back, clinging to him as she caught her breath, and Gold kissed back up her neck and along her jaw, his mouth finding hers, his tongue slowly stroking as he let his fingers slip from her.

Lacey settled back against the tiles, her chest heaving, and he grinned down at her, the water flattening his hair against his skull.  He swept it out of his eyes with a rush of water, reaching for the shower gel and lathering it in his hands before rubbing the scented foam over his body.  She watched him, brushing soap suds from his chest, and leaned in to suck at his nipple, making him growl.  The water poured over them, washing the foam down his legs in waves of tiny bubbles, the scent of mint and citrus in her nose.  Lacey drew her tongue up his chest, gazing up at him to meet his eyes, grown large and dark with lust.

“Take me to bed,” she whispered.

Gold bent to kiss her again, his tongue sliding into her mouth, and she let her fingers trail up his back, a contented hum coming from her.  His hand reached to the side, turning off the water, and he pulled back, running his hands over his head and squeezing the water from his hair.  He grinned at her, slipping a hand into hers, and opened up the shower.

The towels were soft, and she rubbed most of the water from her skin, smiling across at him a little self-consciously.

“Well, there goes the make-up, I guess,” she said, and his smile grew.

“You look beautiful,” he said simply.

He looked as though he meant it, his eyes crinkling at the corners, a softness in them that she hadn’t seen before, and she wriggled a little awkwardly, unsure how to react.  He threw his own towel aside, grasping his cane, and took her hand again, tugging her with him towards the bedroom.  Lacey pushed ahead of him, discarding the towel and climbing onto the bed, turning to face him as he crawled up beside her.  She lay back against the pillows, reaching up to push her fingers through his wet hair, his stubble sharp against her palm.

“What do you want?” she whispered, and he grinned.

“I want to make you scream,” he said, his voice a low rumble in his chest that made her belly tighten.

He kissed her then, a long, slow kiss, his lips pulling at hers, his tongue gently probing.  It left her breathless, and he shifted his body, settling himself between her legs.  He kissed his way along her jaw and down her throat, his hair tickling the skin of her chest as his lips trailed down to her nipple.  Lacey moaned, arching up into him as he sucked at her, his hands stroking over her, cupping her, squeezing.  She opened her legs a little further, loving the feel of him between them, the weight and heat of his body on hers, the hardness of him against her inner thigh.

Gold moved lower, letting her nipple slip from his mouth, his stubble scraping her skin as he kissed along the line of her ribcage and over the flat plane of her stomach.  She let her hands drop, her fingers sinking into the damp strands of his hair, and she moaned as his tongue stroked across her skin, his hands sliding under her rear and tugging her upwards.  He pressed his face into the soft flesh between her legs, inhaling deeply, and she moaned, undulating, wanting his touch, his tongue.  Soft, wet flesh swept across hers, a groan coming from him, and she let out a cry at the feel of him, her thighs clamping around his head as he tasted her.

His tongue was swirling over her, sweeping across her, circling her clit, and she thrust upwards, pressing against his mouth, moaning as he licked her.  She could feel his hair stroking her, the stubble on his cheeks and chin scratching her tender skin, and she could feel herself building towards climax, heat rising up through her body.  Gold entered her with a finger, moaning as he slid inside, pushing and thrusting as he flicked at her clit with his tongue, and she moaned and writhed, fingers twisting in the strands of his hair.  The feel of him was incredible, heat and softness and the sharp rasp of his stubble, the wet strokes of his tongue.  The finger inside her was joined by a second, pushing up inside her, and she let out a cry of pleasure, arching her back, gasping for breath.

Lacey could feel herself nearing her climax, her cheeks flushing, her cried growing louder.  Gold licked her in a steady rhythm, his fingers sliding in and out of her, his tongue stroking over her clit, and she came with a cry, lifting off the bed before falling back, her body jerking against his mouth, his groans of pleasure vibrating out through his lips.  His tongue swirled over her flesh, licking up the taste of her until it was almost too much to bear, and she tried to catch her breath, her body tingling.

“Whoa!” she murmured, as Gold began kissing his way back up her body, and he chuckled before licking over her nipple.

“You taste amazing,” he whispered, and growled in pleasure as her fingers scraped across his scalp.  “God, I want you, Lacey!”

“Good.”

She pushed him onto his back, her body sliding against his, feeling the firm head of his cock against her skin, slippery with precum.  She bent her head to kiss him messily, his hands sinking into the damp curls of her hair as she straddled him.  He tasted of her, salt and musk on his tongue, on his lips, and she moaned, undulating against him a little before sitting up.

“Let me get a condom,” she said breathlessly.

She slid off him, trotting across the room to dig in her bag for the condoms she had shoved in there before she left her dorm, and threw them onto the bed, climbing back on as Gold opened one up.  He tried to put it on the wrong way round at first, swearing under his breath, and Lacey giggled, gesturing with her hand to flip the thing over.  Gold grinned, rolling it on just as she swung a leg over and sank down onto him with a loud moan, taking him deep.

 _“Fuck!”_ he gasped, throwing his head back, his hips rising up, and she braced herself with a hand on his belly.

“Buckle up, Gold,” she said, and began to move, rocking against him.

His hands slid up her thighs to her hips, holding her tight against him, and she moaned as she felt him all the way inside her, rubbing against her, filling her.  He felt so _good_!  She let out a gasp as she rubbed against him, his hair and her fluids creating a wonderful friction against her clit, and Gold’s hands tightened on her as she quickened her pace a little.  Lacey slid her hands up to his chest, squeezing his nipples between thumbs and forefingers, and he hissed something between gritted teeth as she twisted at them, his cock thrusting up inside her, thick and rigid.

Lacey moaned, sweat beading on her upper lip as she rode him, her hips rocking, letting his cock slide almost all the way out of her before plunging back down onto him.  He was almost panting, his eyes dark and heavy as he watched her, and he stroked his hands up her body to cup her breasts, squeezing as she thrust against him, as she felt her climax nearing.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful!” he growled, his thumbs rubbing over her nipples.  “Come for me, sweetheart!”

She bucked her hips against him, rubbing and grinding, a flush spreading up her chest and neck and setting her cheeks aflame, and she came with a wail, sensations coursing through her body.  Gold groaned as she pumped against him, her movements growing erratic as she came down, and eventually she slowed, gasping for breath, her hands splayed on his chest and her head bowed.

His hands slid around to her back, pulling her close as he rolled them, trapping her beneath him, and Lacey wound her legs around him with a purr of contentment as he sank into her.  His hands stroked damp hair back from her face, his mouth finding hers as he began to thrust, his body a pleasant weight atop her and his cock sliding deep inside her.  She gripped him with her thighs, her fingers pushing through his hair, her tongue tracing the inner slopes of his lips before sliding against his.

He was circling his hips a little, grinding against her already sensitive flesh, and she could feel herself building towards another orgasm.  She reached for it, wanting it, wanting to join him in bliss when he came inside her, and Gold pulled his mouth from hers with a groan as he quickened his pace a little, his thrusts harder, faster.  She could feel him inside, grown harder, more rigid, and she knew that he was close, that he would come, that she would feel it.  Sweat coated them, their skin slippery with it, and the scent of him surrounded her, mixed with her own, drowning her.  She let her head roll back with a moan, and he licked up the length of her throat, pumping against her, his teeth gently nipping at her jaw before he thrust up into her with a long, loud cry, his cock pulsing.  The feel of it took her with him, and she clung to him, her fingers digging furrows in his shoulders.

Gold collapsed a little, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath, and she stroked his hair, sucking in cool air, her heart pounding.  After a moment he pushed himself up on shaking arms, a lazy grin on his face, his eyes heavy-lidded and sleepy.

“Well, well,” he said, his voice a low rumble.  “That was quite something.”

“Mmph,” said Lacey, which seemed to amuse him.

He kissed her gently, reaching down between them to grip the base of the condom before pulling out of her, and knelt up.

“Drink?” he asked.

“Mmph,” she said again, and burrowed beneath the covers.

She could hear him chuckling as he left the room, and then the sound of the toilet flushing and water running in the sink.  She nestled into the crisp sheets, a wide grin on her face, her body warm and loose and aching pleasantly. _Man_ , the guy knew how to fuck!  She felt a momentary twinge of regret when she realised that she probably wouldn’t ever find someone in college that she was this compatible with and who had his technique.  Perhaps he’d want to meet up again next time he was in town; she certainly wouldn’t object to making this a regular thing.

For a brief moment, she wondered what it would be like to be with him:  _really_ be with him, not just sleep with him.  Lasting relationships weren’t something she excelled at; she got bored easily and liked her own space, which a lot of guys didn’t appreciate.  But Gold was hot as hell and funny and interesting and could make her come in a number of different ways.  And he seemed interested in what she liked, and what she wanted to do with her life, which quite frankly made a fucking change from the idiots she'd dated previously.  If she could make it work with anyone, she would want it to be with him.

She listened as he left the bathroom and walked through to the lounge, and then to the clink of glasses.  After a moment she heard his uneven tread again, and pulled the sheets down to blink up at him.  He set two glasses of champagne down on the nightstand and pulled back the covers, climbing in beside her.  Lacey sat up a little, snuggling against his chest as one arm went around her.

“You don’t mind me staying, do you?” she asked, and he flashed her a brief smile.

“Of course not, I’d like you to stay.”

He handed her a glass, and she shifted position a little to take it, sniffing at the champagne and letting the bubbles gently sting the inside of her nose.  Gold took a drink, letting his head roll back against the pillows with a sigh.  She sipped at the champagne, enjoying the taste of it, and there was silence for a moment.

“Do you do this a lot?” she asked then, and he let his head roll towards her.

“No,” he said.  “Do you?”

Lacey wrinkled her nose.

“Depends on who you ask,” she said.  “Not as much as people think, I guess.”

“Well, I learned not to care what people think a long time ago,” he said.  “Does it bother you?”

She hesitated, chewing her lip.

“It used to,” she admitted.  “But fuck ‘em, right?”

Gold chuckled.  “Indeed.”

They fell silent again, and Lacey sipped at her champagne.

“How did you hurt your leg?” she asked, and he pulled a face.

“Bike accident when I was in my twenties,” he said.  “It was partly my fault.  The exuberance of youth.  I thought I was immortal.”

“Hmm.”  She turned to face him a little more.  “I get that.  I have to remind myself of consequences, sometimes.  It’s like my brain doesn’t want to think about it.”

“Oh, that’s not necessarily something that goes away, believe me,” he said dryly, and she giggled.

“Yeah?” she teased.  “So are you gonna regret this in the morning?”

Gold sent her a twisted smile, warmth in his eyes as he looked at her.

“I think I will look back on this evening with nothing but pleasure,” he said, and she grinned back at him before settling back in the pillows and sipping her wine.

“Do you snore?” she asked then, and he shrugged.

“I don’t know.  Probably a little.  Are you sleepy?”

“No,” she said immediately, and set aside her glass.  “No, I don’t want to go to sleep just yet.”

Gold threw back the last of his champagne, putting the glass on the nightstand before turning to her.

“Good,” he said quietly.  “Because there are a few more things I’d like to do to you.”

* * *

Gold woke early, as was his custom, and grinned to himself as he felt a warm body next to his.  It had been a long time since he’d woken up to the press of naked flesh and the scent of perfume on the pillows, and for a moment he lay still and watched Lacey as she slept.  Her hair was adorably tousled, mascara smudges beneath her eyes, her cheeks a little flushed, and his smile grew.  She was a beautiful thing, a tornado of light and life and sardonic intelligence pressed into a shapely little package that seemed to be more than happy to bang his brains out.  Part of him wondered if he was still asleep in Maine and dreaming the whole encounter.

He lifted a finger, tenderly brushing a tendril of hair from her smooth cheek, and Lacey twitched and sighed, making him grin like an idiot.  They hadn’t gotten much sleep; she had been an enthusiastic partner in every way, and they had indulged in one another repeatedly, finally dozing off around three.  He could have lain there and watched her for another hour or so, but he had business to attend to, and she had class.  They both needed coffee.  He carefully slid from the bed, reaching for his cane, and pulled on one of the pairs of loose cotton pants that he usually slept in.  Padding through to the lounge in bare feet, he filled the kettle and scooped coffee into the pot as he waited for the water to boil.  A buzzing from his phone made him look around, and he found the thing face down on the coffee table.

“Hey, Mr Gold.”  Ariel’s voice floated up out of the phone.

“Ah, Miss Fisher,” he said, transferring the phone to the other ear.  “You’re in work very early.”

“Yeah, well, I thought I’d try to proofread that pile of draft contracts you left before you got back,” she chirped.  “I already picked out some typos and a few paragraphs that need transposing.  One of the clauses is misnumbered in the Mills contract, so I changed it.  As long as we don’t get too many clients dropping by today, I should be done by tomorrow.”

“Excellent,” said Gold briskly.  “Any other news?”

“Yeah, Leroy came in,” she said.  “He said you had offered him a loan using his boat as collateral.”

“Really?”  Gold wrinkled his brow.  “Can’t say I recall actually agreeing to that.”

“Oh, I have the details here somewhere,” she said, sounding flustered.  “He said you’d already seen her.  Do you want me to look and call you back?”

“No, no, it’s not important,” said Gold.  “Besides, I have company.”

“Oh...”  

There was a moment of silence from Ariel, and Gold sighed inwardly, cursing his flapping tongue.  Luckily she knew better than to gossip about his private business.

“Go on,” he prodded, and almost _heard_ her start.

“Oh!  The boat!  Right, well, he said she’s a beauty...”

“She’s a piece of trash,” said Gold in a bored voice.  “Barely worth my time.”

“I have a valuation,” said Ariel in a sing-song voice, as though she were offering him a treat.  “I can show you when you get back, but I think it’s worth a go.  Also August came in and offered you first refusal on his motorbike.”

Gold almost spluttered.  “ _What?_  You’re not serious!”

“Hey, I know as well as you that you had fun when you borrowed that bike!” she said reprovingly.  “Don’t blame the guy for trying to profit off your midlife crisis!”

“Look, it was _one time_!” he said wearily.  “Okay, _possibly_ three, but let me deal with my midlife crisis in my own way, alright?”

“So you don’t want the bike?”  She sounded disappointed.  “I thought you liked it.”

“Oh, an exhilarating ride, to be sure,” he said dryly.  “But hardly appropriate for a man of my - reputation.  Besides, you know I had a bad experience on that front before.”

Ariel sighed.  “Fine.  Admit you’re vain and just like scaring people and I won’t mention it again.”

“You know me too well,” he said, with a grin.  “Anyway, I’ll be back later today.”

“I’ll have everything ready,” she promised.  “See you later?”

“Indeed.”

He hung up, grinning to himself.  Ariel was developing into a competent assistant.  She had already learned that he valued loyalty and hard work above anything else, but that he also liked to be challenged at times by those he employed.  His business was safe in her hands for a few days.

* * *

Lacey had heard him get up, but wanted to stay in her warm cocoon of blankets a little while longer.  Her body was aching, her limbs heavy, and a smile spread across her face as she remembered the events of the previous day.  And night.  The man had stamina, that was for sure.  She stretched, her grin widening, and pushed herself up on her hands.  A glance at the digital clock on the nightstand made her pout.  Already gone seven, and she had to go home, get changed, and get to class for eight-thirty.  She could really use a coffee.

Slipping out of bed, she pulled on his discarded shirt, and padded across to the door to the lounge.  His voice made her pause; he was on the phone to someone.  Unsure whether to disturb him, she waited for a moment.

“No, no, it’s not important,” he was saying.  “Besides, I have company.”

Lacey grinned.   _Company_.  Well, that was one way of putting it.

“She’s a piece of trash,” he said then, in a withering voice.  “Barely worth my time.”

A finger of ice slipped into her chest, sharp and cold, stealing her breath and making her heart thump hard.

 _“What?”_  He sounded disbelieving.  “You’re not serious!”

There was a pause, and Lacey wondered what the other person was saying.  Teasing him, perhaps, over this - well, whatever the hell it was they had shared.  Her cheeks _burned_.

“Look, it was _one time_ ,” he added, sounding weary.  “Okay, _possibly_ three, but let me deal with my midlife crisis in my own way, alright?”

Lacey took a step back, feeling cold and a little unreal.  She shook herself, telling herself it didn’t fucking matter.  Every guy she had ever slept with had been an asshole.  She had thought for a brief, foolish moment that he might be the exception.

“Oh, an exhilarating ride, to be sure,” he went on.  “But hardly appropriate for a man of my - reputation.  Besides, you know I had a bad experience on that front before.”

Lacey felt sick.  She had heard enough.  Turning away, and trying to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest, she tore off the shirt and groped around for her clothes, tugging them on and getting angry with herself over the stinging of tears in her eyes.  Why the hell should she care?  She had enjoyed sex with someone, _really_ enjoyed it, for the first time in what felt like forever.  But he was way older than her, and he was Neal’s father, for fuck’s sake!  That would only make things more complicated.  Besides, he thought she wasn’t good enough for him, and that only meant…

 _He’s right_ , her brain supplied, in a snide tone, and Lacey crushed the thought ruthlessly.  She straightened her dress so it at least covered her butt, and looked at herself in the mirror.  Her hair was a tangled mess, streaks of mascara beneath her eyes and the dress left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

 _Oh yeah, like he could ever take_ you _seriously!_

Lacey curled her lip at her reflection, but then squared her jaw, raising her chin, and told herself she didn’t care.  She wrenched open the door to the lounge and stomped through, making Gold look around from where he was making coffee.

“You didn’t have to get up,” he said.  “I was going to bring this through.”

“I gotta go,” she said, not wanting to look at him, and looked around for her shoes.  “I have class.”

“Well, I can take you, there’s no need to rush off,” he said.  “Have some coffee at least.  I could order breakfast.”

“No thanks.”  She spied the shoes under a chair.  “I think it’s best I just get out of here.”

Gold took two steps towards her, his cane pushing circular dents into the carpet.

“Lacey,” he said gently.  “You don’t have to leave right away.”

She straightened up, hands on her hips, and made herself look him in the eye.  Why did his fucking eyes have to be so soft when he looked at her?  Almost like he fucking cared.  

“Yeah, well, it’s not like this is going anywhere,” she said bluntly.  “One night of okay sex is just that, right?”

Gold blinked.

“You thought it was just _okay_?” he said, looking surprised.  “It seemed as though…”

“Oh, you’re pretty good, don’t get me wrong,” she said indifferently, waving a hand as she bent to pick up her shoes.  “But I know how this goes.  You had a good time, right?”

“Of - of course,” he said, his expression of puzzlement growing.  “But…”

“Great, so did I,” she interrupted.  “But we both know that’s all it was.  You didn’t seriously think I was looking for more, did you?”  She chuckled hollowly.  “I mean, you’re old enough to be my dad, Gold.  As your son pointed out.”

His face took on a blank, flat look, and he raised his head a little.

“Right,” he said evenly, and she nodded.

“Good, so we both know where we stand,” she said, picking up her jacket and shrugging it on.  “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go do the walk of shame and change into something a little less slutty before I get to class.”

He looked as though he wanted to say something more, but whatever it was, she didn’t want to hear it.  She opened the door and slipped out, letting it close behind her and refusing to look back.  The door clicked shut, and she leant against the wall with a sigh, raising her eyes to the ceiling and blinking rapidly, tears spilling over to course down her cheeks.  She scrubbed them away angrily.  It didn’t fucking matter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I definitely am going to fix things
> 
> Eventually :)
> 
> Anyway, last time Lacey overheard Gold on the phone to Ariel and completely misunderstood. Here's what happened next

Lacey got some raised eyebrows on the street outside, but she didn’t much care, taking the bus to the university campus and hurrying home to shower and change.  The race to get to class on time was a pleasant distraction from the thoughts that kept slipping into her mind and digging their gleeful claws into her self-esteem.

 _Fuck him_ , she thought sourly, as she slid into a chair, the rest of the class taking their seats around her.   _Not like there aren’t a dozen like him around here._

The unfortunate thing, as she well knew, was that there was _no one_ like Gold around there.  There was no one that made her heart flutter and her belly clench, whose eyes would gleam with mischief and whose voice alone was a turn-on.  There was no one who could make her come with a few sweeps of his fingers, whose tongue should have been made illegal, who smelled like wood and spice and musk and whose hair would brush her cheeks while he fucked her.

“Miss French?”

Lacey started, blushing.  Her professor, Dr Heller, was waiting patiently, and she racked her brains trying to think of what he had asked her while she had been lost in her memories.

“Sorry?” she said apologetically, and he sighed.

“Your paper,” he repeated, and Lacey pulled a face.

“Oh.  Right.  Sorry, I had a bad night last night.  Can I get it to you after lunch?”

Dr Heller rolled his eyes, looking pained.

“Very well,” he said levelly.  “You can get it to me by the end of the day, but I expect nothing but the best, understand?”

She nodded, grateful both for the second chance and for the distraction that the work would give her.  If nothing else, Gold turning out to be an utter prick would probably be good for her grades.  Study was just what she needed to get the bastard out of her head.

* * *

Unfortunately, while study proved to be an excellent distraction when Lacey was up and dressed, every time she lay down to sleep she found herself running over the entire encounter in her head and wondering why she hadn’t picked up on his apparent disdain for her.  She was usually adept at spotting arseholes; admittedly it never stopped her sleeping with them, but she could tell what they were and that they weren’t worth anything more than a one-nighter.  Gold hadn’t been like that.  He’d acted as though he actually _liked_ her, trashy little dress and all.  It was making her doubt her ability to read people.

* * *

Lacey sat at the bar of the Rabbit Hole, staring into the glass of whisky she had been nursing.  She had managed to get through the past ten days by trying her best not to think about Gold, and by avoiding Neal and Emma.  It had meant pretending to be out when they had knocked on her door on Friday night, but she wasn’t in the mood to socialise, and she _certainly_ wasn’t in the mood to discuss what had happened with Neal’s dad.  It was now Saturday, and she had come to the bar with the intention of getting well and truly hammered, but her stomach was acidic, no doubt from the stress, and when the whisky had been set in front of her, she decided that she would stick with one.

“Rough day?”

Keith Nott, the bartender, sent her what he no doubt thought was a disarming smile, and Lacey curled her lip.  He was good-looking, and she’d slept with him once, when she’d been a little drunk and he’d been partly responsible for her inebriation.  It had been unremarkable.   _Every_ guy was fucking unremarkable, if she was honest.  Every guy but _Gold_ , anyway.  Fucking bastard with his stupid sexual prowess and his magic fingers!

“Yeah, it’s been pretty crappy,” she said, shoving the thoughts from her head, and took a sip of her whisky.

“Trouble with a guy?”

“No,” she lied.

“A girl, then?  You know, if you want to tell me about your love life, I’m all ears.”

He was grinning at her, and she rolled her eyes.

“Piss off, Keith.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Lace,” he wheedled.  “Look, you want another?  On the house.”

“I still have this one, asshole,” she pointed out.  “And I’m going home when I’m done.”

“Wait until I get off and I’ll walk you,” he suggested, and she pulled a face.

“No thanks.  Been there, done that.”

“Come on!”  He looked put-upon.  “It was a good time, right?”

“For you, maybe.”  She took another sip of her drink.  “I kind of levelled up on my standards for one-night stands recently.  Call me when you can make me come three ways without taking off your pants.  Otherwise you can fuck off.”

Keith scowled.  “Don’t be a bitch, I was only being friendly.”

“Uh-huh.”  She tried to ignore him, but it was difficult when he was standing there glowering at her.

“Hey, what’s up?”  Emma slid onto a stool beside her, and Lacey was grateful for the distraction.  Emma jerked her head at Keith.  “He bothering you again?”

“I offered her a drink on the house,” said Keith, with a sulky expression.  “She fucking bit my head off.  How about I get you one instead?”

“Really not looking for a side of sleaze with my drink,” remarked Emma.  “I’ll take a beer, but I’m paying.”

He curled his lip, then gave her a sly grin.  “I.D?”

Emma leaned on the bar with an expression of disbelief.

“Come _on_ , man!  I’ve been coming here for _months_!” she objected.

“I.D.” he repeated.

“Forget it,” said Lacey, pushing away her drink.  “Wanna go get a coffee, or something?  This place reeks of testosterone and desperation.”

“Sure.”

Emma jumped off the stool with a toss of her blonde hair, and she and Lacey made their way outside, ignoring Keith’s shouted insult about them both being sluts.  Lacey folded her arms as they walked, wishing she’d brought a jacket.  The night air was cold.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” said Emma, her tone careful.  “You okay?”

“Great!”

Her voice sounded overly bright, and she winced.  Emma gave her a sidelong look.

“Been studying pretty hard,” Lacey confessed.  “Trying to get my GPA up this year.  I’ve been screwing around for too long.”

“Yeah, college is pretty full-on at the moment,” agreed Emma.  “I have to hit the books pretty hard if I want to get some decent grades this year.”

“Same,” grumbled Lacey.  “God, I can’t _wait_ until after finals!  I’m gonna get so drunk I fall over and sleep through summer.”

Emma snickered.

“Miss the summer?  No thanks.”

“Maybe just a long weekend then,” Lacey amended.  “Not like I have plans to go anywhere.  I might just take some summer classes.”

Emma winced.  “Seriously?”

“It’s either that or I spend like ten weeks watching my father drink too much and yell at Fox News,” said Lacey dryly.  “Really looking forward to _that_ , let me tell you.”

Emma chuckled.

“Did I tell you Neal’s taking me home with him for a couple of weeks in the summer?” she asked.

“Home?” asked Lacey.  “Like - to Maine?”

“Yeah, the place is called Storybrooke.”  Emma kicked at a loose stone on the path, sending it bouncing.  “He says it’s pretty dull, but I guess it’ll be nice to see where he came from, you know?”

“Storybrooke, huh?”  Lacey pursed her lips.  “Cute name.  You’ll probably have a better summer than me.”

Emma nudged her playfully.

“Want me to tell Neal’s dad you said hi?” she asked, grinning, and Lacey pulled a face.

“Yeah, somehow I don’t think he’d be interested,” she said dryly, and Emma looked puzzled.

“I thought you two seemed to get on pretty well,” she said.  “What gives?”

“Nothing,” Lacey sighed.  “But you know how I am.  Bang ‘em and move on, right?  Guys are all the same.”

“I heard you two,” Emma reminded her.  “Sounded kind of different from where Neal and I were, believe me.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like it was ever gonna be anything serious,” said Lacey, feeling uncomfortable.  “For me or for him.”

“How did you guys leave things?” asked Emma tentatively, and Lacey turned to walk backwards, scrunching her nose.

“Can we not talk about this?” she asked.  “Honestly, I’m trying to forget the whole thing ever happened.”

“Oh.  Sure, no problem.”

Lacey nodded, falling back into step again, and there was silence as they reached the coffee shop.

“Think I’m getting a large one,” she said then.  “That Psych paper won’t write itself, the bastard.”

Emma chuckled, pushing open the door, and they stepped inside the warm, fragrant space, shutting out the cold night air. 

* * *

Gold hadn’t taken Lacey’s number, and hadn’t felt comfortable asking Neal to get it for him, and so he spent every spare moment of the three weeks since their night together thinking about her and then telling himself to get a grip.  He had no idea why she had run out on him first thing after they had shared a thoroughly enjoyable night, but her having alluded to their relative ages gave him some clue.  Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about their time together, and he would have liked to see her again, so he resolved to visit Neal the next time he was passing through.  Perhaps she had changed her mind.  Perhaps she thought about him, too.

It was a mild evening when he pulled the car into the university parking lot and made the long trek to the dorm buildings.  He stopped at the bottom of the flight of stairs up to the floor on which Neal’s apartment was housed, and sighed heavily.  The elevator was still out, then.  Telling himself it was good for his legs, he made his way awkwardly upwards, and rapped on Neal’s apartment door.  He couldn’t help casting a glance at Lacey’s door, but there was silence from within.

“Hey!”  Neal opened the door, pulling him into a hug.  “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I have business in New York,” said Gold, looking him over and smiling.  “I thought I’d stop by on my way, buy you dinner, if you like.”

“Cool.  Emma was coming over, if that’s okay.”

“Of course.”  Gold looked around.  “Um - should I ask Lacey, do you think?”

“You need _my_ permission?” asked Neal wryly.  “How old are you, Pops?  Just go knock on her door, and don’t be such a wuss.”

Gold gave him a level look, but accepted that he had a point.  He stepped out into the corridor for a moment, raising a hand, and hesitated only briefly before rapping on the door with his knuckles.  There was silence.  He knocked again, trying to ignore the heavy feeling of disappointment.

“Guess she’s out,” said Neal.  “She’s been kind of hitting the books lately.  Not even been going out that much.”

“Oh.”  Gold’s fingers drummed on the handle of his cane.  “Has she - talked about me at all?”

“Dad…”  Neal covered his face with his hands, and Gold sighed.

“Forget it.  Look, would you tell her I stopped by?  If she wanted to call…”

His voice trailed off, and Neal groaned, peeking from between his fingers.

“Fine, I’ll give her your number.  You want me to pass her a note in class or something?”

Gold frowned at him.  “Hilarious.”

Neal gestured to his dorm room.

“Look, would you just get your ass in here and stop making an idiot of yourself?” he demanded.  “She’s not there.  You want a drink of something?”

Gold sighed inwardly, cursing himself for a besotted fool.  She had made her feelings quite clear, it seemed.  He turned on his heel, following Neal back inside, and shut the door behind him.

In the room next door, Lacey closed the book she held with hands that shook a little, glaring at the door.  So, he thought he could just turn up and bang the ‘piece of trash’ whenever he was in town, did he?  Well, he could go fuck himself!  She was busy, anyhow.  She opened her book again, knowing that she would be thinking of him when she closed her eyes that night, and furious with herself over it.  

* * *

It was another three weeks before she realised that she had no choice: she would have to see him again.

* * *

She remembered that Neal’s hometown was called Storybrooke, and as luck would have it she could get a bus there, so she ended up skipping class on a Friday and studying for Monday’s Sociology class on the bus, the sunshine warm on her skin.  She was nervous, her belly so tight with anxiety she felt nauseous, and so she tried to distract herself by reading her textbook and making notes.

It was just after two by the time she reached the town, and she looked out of the window with interest at the quaint little houses, perfect with their rose gardens and picket fences.  It was hard to imagine Neal growing up here, and harder still to imagine Gold living here.  Of course, she herself was so used to cities that she thought she’d go mad if she had to spend too long in a place that didn’t appear to have a cinema or any fast food restaurants.  There was a diner, and a number of small stores, but little else.

The bus pulled to a stop, and she gathered her things, shoving the bulky textbook in her bag and stepping off, sunglasses shielding her eyes from the glare as she looked around.  She had searched for Gold’s business online, noting that he was a landlord as well as an attorney, and it was a matter of minutes before she found his office, tucked onto the main street next an artisan bakery.  She hesitated outside, her hand on the door handle, but then squared her jaw and pushed down, opening the door and walking inside.

There was a reception desk and comfortable-looking leather chairs beside a small table.  A handwritten note tented on the desk read _Back in 15 minutes!_  followed by a smiley face.  Lacey highly doubted that Gold ever wrote smiley faces on anything other than eviction notices, and therefore assumed that he had a receptionist.

She drummed her fingers on the desk, looking around.  A door was off to the left, and so she lifted her chin, stomping around the desk and pushing it open.  A well-lit corridor housed three other doors, and she eyed the one at the end, frosted glass hiding what was within.  She could almost _feel_ his presence flowing out of it to wrap around her, and she clenched and unclenched her hands, chewing her lip, her nerves rising.

 _Fuck it_ , she thought, and took a deep breath, striding down the corridor and pushing open the door without knocking.

Gold looked up from behind a large desk of polished walnut, an expression of surprise on his face, and her belly clenched.  He had cut his hair.  It was short: silvery strands just brushing the tips of his ears and the nape of his neck.  It made his face look a little fuller, his skin a little warmer above the midnight blue silk shirt, and she licked her lips.  Why did he have to look so fucking _good_!

“Lacey,” he said, and a genuine smile spread across his face, his gold tooth glinting.  He pushed himself to his feet, long fingers tightening on the handle of his cane.

“Hey,” she said, the word seeming to stick in her throat.

He was looking her over hungrily, and it made her want to go to him, to kiss him.  To have him take her over that big-ass desk of his.  She wondered if he was thinking it too, and shoved the thought away.

“You - er - you cut your hair,” she said, and could have kicked herself.  Why the hell did it matter?

“Yes,” he said, and glanced away for a moment.  “What - what are you doing here?”

“I took the bus,” she said.  “Emma told me where you lived, and I don’t have class, so I thought - I thought it was probably a good opportunity to - well…”

She cut off, unsure how to continue, and he waited patiently for a long moment, but her throat had closed up.  Gold rounded the edge of his desk, taking a step towards her before folding his hands over the handle of his cane.

“I thought you didn’t want to see me,” he said, his voice soft.  “I left you a message, the last time I was in Boston, but you never called back.  You were out, I understand.”

Lacey raised her chin.

“No, I was in,” she said.  “I got the message.  And no, I didn’t want to see you.”

His jaw worked a little.

“I see,” he said quietly.  “So what’s changed?”

She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, her heart racing.

“Nothing,” she muttered, turning away.  “Nothing.  This was a mistake.”

She took a step towards the door, wanting to cry, and furious with herself because of it.

“Lacey.”

His voice made her pause, and she heard him move, the tread of his shoes and the tap of his cane, and then the warmth of his hand on her arm.

“What is it?” he pressed.  “I don’t believe you rode the bus for four hours just to walk out on me again.”

His words riled her. _She_ walk out?  She spun to face him, glaring.

“Walk _out_ on you again?” she snapped.  “What, you mean after the one night we spent together?  After you called me a piece of trash?”

“I - _what?_ ”  He looked astounded.  “I never said that!  I never _would_ say that, that’s not what I think!”

“Oh, please!”  She curled her lip at him.  “I _heard_ you!  Calling me your fucking midlife crisis or something…”

“I - I never _said_ that!” he protested.  

“...well, fuck you, you arsehole!” she stormed.  “I may not be everyone’s idea of a model fucking citizen, but I’m bloody well trying to make a _future_ for myself and then _you_ come along and fucking screw it up!”

Gold stood with his mouth slightly open as she ranted, looking ever more confused.

 _“Me?”_ he demanded.  “What the hell did _I_ do?”

“I’m _pregnant_ , you dickhead!” she shouted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter Lacey dropped a bomb on Gold. Here's what happened next

It was almost satisfying to watch the colour drain from Gold’s face.  She imagined she had looked the same when she got the news.  Her chest was heaving, her entire body bristling with anger and resentment, and she wanted to cry.  Again.  Stupid fucking hormones!  Gold shook his head in disbelief.

“I - I don’t understand,” he said helplessly.  “How..?”

“If you even _think_ about ending that sentence with ‘did this happen’ I swear to _God_ I will take that cane and shove it up your arse!” she hissed, shaking a finger at him, and he blinked.

“No, no, I just meant…”  He lifted a hand, letting it fall against his leg.  “We used condoms.”

“Yeah, well, not always one hundred percent, as it turns out,” she said curtly.  “Probably fooling around in the fucking closet at that restaurant, I guess.  Or on the bed.  Either way one of the buggers got through.”

“Oh.”

He looked at the floor, the toes of his polished shoes shifting a little, and she felt her anger grow.

 _“Oh?”_ she snapped.   _“Oh?_  Is that all you can say to me?  My life is fucking _over_ and you give me _oh_?”

Gold stared at her for a moment like a rabbit in the headlights, but then seemed to give himself a shake.

“I’m sorry,” he said then.  “It’s all - well, it’s all a little much, that’s all.”

“Oh, that’s _all_?” she spat.  “That’s _all_?  Why aren’t you mad?  What the hell is _wrong_ with you, don’t you understand what this _means_?  Why aren’t you _yelling_?”

“Would it do any good?” he asked heavily, and she wanted to _scream_.  He seemed to sense it, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender, palms outwards.

“Come and sit down,” he said quietly.  “Come.  Let’s talk about this.  I’ll make some tea.”

“I don’t need your _tea_!” she said, her tone petulant, and tears stung her eyelids.   _Oh, here we go!  I fucking_ hate _this!_

“Please, Lacey,” he said, and gestured to the chair in front of his desk.  “Please.  Sit down.”

She took the chair with a bad grace, bowing her head so that he wouldn’t see her tears fall, but he seemed to sense that she was crying anyway, and whipped the handkerchief from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.  The bastard.

“I won’t be a moment,” he said gently, and walked off.

She heard him leave the room, and she took a moment to cry into the handkerchief, which was silk and wonderfully soft and which smelt of him.  Telling someone, telling _him,_ seemed to have opened the floodgates, the tears that had been threatening to fall since she had gotten the news pouring out of her.  Her body shook with sobs, and she heard him return, setting a glass of water and a box of tissues before her.

“Please don’t cry, Lacey,” he said.  “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

“Are you an idiot?” she sobbed.  “It _won’t_ be okay!   _Nothing_ will be okay!”

He didn’t say anything, seeming to sense that nothing would help, and merely rubbed her shoulder, his hand a warm, comforting weight.  Lacey plucked one of the tissues and blew her nose, and Gold smiled down at her, a soft look in his eyes.

“You - you didn’t ask if it’s yours,” she said, sniffing.

“Well, I presumed you wouldn’t be here otherwise,” he said gently.  “So it would be rather insulting of me, wouldn’t it?”

Lacey cried harder, and he patted her shoulder.

“I think,” he said.  “I think we should talk about this somewhere more private, don’t you?”

At that moment, as though to support his argument, a young woman with long red hair came bursting into the room.

“Oh!” she said, rocking back on her heels and clutching a file to her chest.  “I’m so sorry, Mr Gold, I had no idea you had an appointment!”

“Quite alright, Miss Fisher,” said Gold calmly.  “Miss French here has had a shock.  I’m going to take her home.  Can you close up for the day?”

“O-kay,” said Miss Fisher, uncertainly.

She was looking at Lacey with blue eyes full of sympathy, and Lacey was finding it irritating, particularly as the young woman was extremely pretty, and unlikely to be getting disgustingly fat in a few months.  She  wondered if Gold had slept with her, too, and glared at Miss Fisher, who blushed and ducked out of the room.

“Here.”

Gold held out a hand to her, and after a moment of glowering she took it, letting him pull her up.  He was right.  They needed to talk.

* * *

Gold walked her to his car, his hand on the small of her back, and that small touch was comforting, grounding her.  She knew that she probably looked a mess, with puffy eyes and streaked mascara, but at least she didn’t need to throw up.  Her morning sickness was more of an ever-present nausea that just made her feel lousy all day.  She was silent as he drove the short distance out of the town centre to a large pink Victorian surrounded by a fenced garden.  Lacey blinked.

“You - you have a - a _pink_ _house_ ,” she said, and he turned to her with a smile.

“Yes.  Do you like it?”

“It’s different,” she observed, and opened the car door.

She followed him up the steps, watching as he unlocked the door.  There were panes of stained glass in jewel-bright colours, and she could see through to the hall beyond.  Once they were inside, she looked around with interest, following Gold through to the lounge.  The place was filled with antique furniture, polished wood and leather armchairs and beautifully-crafted pieces of porcelain.  Lacey sat down on a leather-covered couch, twisting her fingers around one another, and Gold sent her a smile.

“I’ll make some tea,” he said.  “What would you like?  Earl Grey?  Peppermint, perhaps, if you’re nauseous?”

“Anything,” she said listlessly, and he nodded, stepping quickly from the room.

She could hear the tap of his cane grow quieter as he moved towards the kitchen, and she got to her feet, looking around at the books crammed onto the shelves.  He had a lot of titles that she loved, modern classics alongside more traditional novels.  Lacey wondered if he had read them all, or whether they were for show, along with the antiques and designer suits, a veil of respectability he could draw over whatever else went on in his life.  She realised that she didn’t know the slightest thing about him, other than that he ran a small legal practice and property management business, and was fiendishly good in bed.

 _No, don’t think about that_ now _, what is_ wrong _with you?_  She rolled her eyes at her own one-track mind.  The sound of Gold’s cane was a welcome distraction, at least until he actually walked into the room with the tea tray under one arm, and she saw that he had taken off his jacket and tie, his shirt open at the neck.  God, he looked good enough to _eat_!  She turned away, chewing her lip, and blaming hormones for the poor choices her body wanted so badly to make.

“Here we are.”

He set down the tray somewhat awkwardly, and she supposed she should have taken it from him, but she didn’t want to risk touching the bastard.  The tray carried a teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl besides the two china cups and saucers.   _Because of course it fucking does.  Why stick a tea bag in a fucking mug like a normal person, after all?_

“It needs a few minutes,” he said, straightening up and grounding his cane, and she nodded, her arms folded around her middle protectively.  There was a moment of silence, the large cased clock on the wall ticking in a low, sombre tone.

“So,” he said.  “I - er - I take it you’ve seen a doctor?”

“I went to the campus clinic,” she said, her tone wry.  “Surprised you didn’t hear the yelling from here.”

“Well, I imagine it was something of a shock,” he said carefully, and she turned slowly on the balls of her feet, glaring at him.

“Wow, you’ve really got the power of fucking understatement down, huh?”

Gold sighed and rubbed at one eye, looking weary.  She wondered if the news had entirely sunk in for him.  No one could _possibly_ be that calm!

“Does Neal know?” he asked then.  “Emma?”

Lacey shook her head.

“Me, my doctor, and now you, that’s it,” she said, and rolled her eyes, her arms rising into the air before falling back to slap against her legs.

“Oh my God, how am I supposed to tell Neal he has a kid brother or sister on the way?” she groaned.  “How the hell am I supposed to deal with _that_?”

“We can tell him together, if you like,” he suggested.  “He may not be as upset as you think, you know.”

Lacey put her fists on her hips.

“Are you _insane_?” she demanded.  “His dad knocks up his _friend_?  You don’t think that’s gonna freak him out?  It was bad enough when he _heard us doing it_ , you moron!”

Gold looked as though he was swallowing a laugh, and that only enraged her more.

“Oh, I’m _so_ fucking glad you think this is _funny_!” she shouted.  “Why should it affect _you_ , right?  _I’m_ the one who’ll have to drop out of college, after all! _I’m_ the one who’s life is fucking _over_! _I’m_ the one who’s gonna get fat and waddle around the place and waste half my time peeing and then spend twelve hours in fucking pain trying to push a fucking _person_ out of me!   _I’m_ the one…”

She cut off, too upset to continue, and sat back down on the couch with a thump, tears welling in her eyes again.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and he at least sounded sincere.  “I’m not making light of it, I swear.  I want to help, Lacey, believe me.  Whatever I can do, just tell me.  You can have whatever you want.”

“Got a time machine stuffed in that suit?” she asked morosely.

“I’m afraid not.”

She sniffed, her eyes stinging, and let the tears fall.  After a moment, Gold sat down beside her, and reached out to pour the tea.  Lacey watched the rich golden-brown arc of liquid stream into the china cup.  There was something soothing and unhurried about it, and it was oddly calming.  She heaved a sigh, and Gold pushed a cup and saucer towards her, pouring his own.  When it was done he reached out to touch her cheek, fingers stroking over her skin, sending her comfort.  It felt nice, and she leaned in, hating her own weakness for wanting his touch.

“Look, I know this all seems like too much right now,” he said, his voice quiet.  “I know it seems like you can’t get through it, but you will.  I’ll help, I promise.  There’s no need for you to give up college, or your dreams.  You can do whatever you want to do.”

“I can’t exactly sit exams if I’m bloody breastfeeding!” she snapped, and hitched a breath as tears ran down her cheeks again.  Gold brushed one away with a sweep of his thumb.

“You could take some time out,” he suggested.  “Go back next year.  Nothing’s impossible, Lacey.  Plenty of budding journalists have children.”

Her lip wobbled.  He had remembered what she wanted to do.  She wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse, that hint that he thought about her.  That he cared enough to recall their conversation.

“Please talk to me,” he said, and his voice was so gentle that she wanted to cry again.  “Please.”

Lacey ducked her head a little, his fingers still warm on her skin.

“I never - I never wanted to be _that girl_ ,” she said, almost a whisper.

“Which girl?” he asked softly, and she pulled a face, shrugging him off.

“ _You_ know!” she spat.  “The girl they all expected me to be.  The girl they thought I _was_.  The one who drinks too much and swears too much and gets knocked up by the time she’s twenty.  The girl who’s a fucking failure!”

“Having a child doesn’t make you a failure,” he said.  “Far from it.”

Lacey curled her lip.

“Easy for _you_ to say, Mr Successful Businessman!” she said sulkily, and Gold pursed his lips, nodding.

“Did Neal ever tell you about his mother?” he asked mildly, and nodded again when Lacey shook her head.  “Can’t say I’m surprised.  She left when he was two.  Just went out one day and never came back.  Oh, there were Christmas cards for a couple of years.  The odd present on his birthday.  But he hasn’t spoken to her above twice in all that time, and hasn’t heard anything from her since he was five.”

Lacey scrubbed away tears, blinking at him, and he smiled briefly.

“I raised him alone,” he said.  “And I was terrified, Lacey, I truly was.  I didn’t think I could do it.  A child needs its mother, right?  Yet we survived.  We did it.  I’m not going to pretend it was easy, but nothing worth having ever is.”

“But I’m not _you,_ ” she sniffed.  “I can’t do this alone.  I can barely look after myself.”

“You wouldn’t be alone,” he said softly.  “I’d be there.  If - if you want.”

“You?”  She blinked up at him, then shook her head.  “No.”

Gold pulled back, his face getting that closed, blank look she had seen before.

“Ah,” he said.

There was silence for a moment, and she continued to wipe away tears.

“I have to pee,” she muttered, and pushed up from the couch, stomping out of the room.

Lacey managed to find the bathroom, and washed her hands slowly, staring into the mirror above the sink.  She thought that she looked frightened, although she supposed that was to be expected, her eyes large and shadowed and bright with tears.  She blew her nose, wiping her eyes again.  She had scuppered his suggestion of them being together as quickly as she could, for her sake as well as his.   _Why had he even offered?  Did he feel obliged, or something?  Fucking old-fashioned bollocks!_  She knew fine well what he really thought of her, and she was damned if she’d feel like a bloody obligation for the rest of her life.  Like second best.  Glaring at her reflection, and wishing for the hundredth time that she’d been out when he knocked on Neal’s door that fateful day, she squared her shoulders, flushing the tissues down the toilet and stomping back downstairs.

Gold was pacing the room, his face expressionless.  The atmosphere was filled with electricity, as though sparks danced in the air around him, and she raised her chin, steeling herself for a shouting match.

“So,” he said, his voice having lost its softness.  “Why exactly did you come here, if not for my help?  Did you only come to tell me I'm to be a father and then keep the child from me?”

There was anger deep in his eyes, darkness burning there, and she shivered.

“I didn’t say that I didn’t need your help, did I?” she said stubbornly.  “Or that you couldn’t be involved in this.  I’m not stupid, I know you’ll have to be involved.  It’s your kid too, right?”

Gold seemed to relax a little at that, some of the stiffness leaving him, his anger ebbing

“I see,” he said.  “You were just talking about us.”

“There _is_ no us,” she said immediately.  “How could there be an _us_ , are you crazy?”

Gold watched her for a moment, his expression unreadable, and then nodded briskly.  Like it was a relief.  She supposed it was.  For him.

“Fine,” he said coldly.  “Well, in that case can we discuss some of the practicalities?  That is at least something I _can_ be involved with, I presume?”

“Fine,” she echoed, and he gestured to the couch.  Lacey sat down and reached for her tea to give her hands something to do.  He continued to stand, watching her, and it made her feel as though she was awaiting some form of punishment.  She took a sip of her tea, ignoring him, and eventually Gold sat down beside her again.

“Do you have a due date?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“Not yet.  Some time in January, I guess.”

“Well, that gives me some time to get things in motion,” he said.  “Would you - would you allow me to be present at the birth?”

She looked at him in surprise.

“You want to?”

“Of course.”

Lacey hesitated, then nodded.

“I’ll probably call you every name under the sun, you do realise that?”

Gold smiled a little ruefully.  “Well, I’m used to that.”

She wanted to return the smile, but she was feeling resentful, and so she looked away, taking a sip of tea.

“Do you have insurance?” he asked then.

Lacey shrugged, and Gold sighed.

“Right, well, that’s something I can take care of, if you’ll let me,” he said, and she sensed that he was trying to be gentle with her again.  She wished he wouldn’t.  It only made her want to cry.

“What about - what about caring for the child, when it’s born?” he asked, a little hesitant.  “Given the time we have, I can see about setting up an office in Boston, and hiring someone to cover the business here.”

Lacey swallowed hard, looking back at him.

“You’d - you’d _do_ that?” she said.  “But you live here.  You have a whole _life_.”

“Yes,” he said simply.  “But I don’t want to do that every other weekend thing.  I want to be a part of this child’s life.  I want to help raise it, not just take it for ice cream twice a month, do you understand?”

Lacey put down her cup and pushed up off the couch, striding to the fireplace.  She leaned against the carved wooden mantle, sucking in air.

“You - you _want_ this baby?” she said.  “But - but…”

She heard him sigh again, the rustle of his clothing as he stood, and the soft tap of his cane on the rug as he stepped towards her.

“I’ve always wanted children,” he said softly.  “When Neal was young - well, there was never the opportunity.  I had to work and study, and care for him.  Then I was building my business, to make sure he wouldn’t want for anything when he was older.  There wasn’t the time for meaningful relationships.”

 _And now he’s at college, you can just bang whoever you want, I guess._ She shoved the thought away.  His private life was none of her business.

“But I’d always wanted more children,” he added.  “I’d be happy to help care for this child, Lacey.  If it helps you finish college, and go on to fulfil your dreams, I’ll gladly take on more of the burden.”

“But - your work,” she said numbly, and he shrugged.

“Ariel can handle the administrative side of the business,” he said.  “And I can hire a paralegal to take on some of the less complex work.  Most of my income comes from property, anyway, and that’s something I can handle anywhere.  My employee Mr Dove can deal with any - enforcement - issues that arise.  We can make this work.  Trust me.”

Lacey rolled her eyes.  She wanted to trust him, but the things he had said had stayed with her, rattling around in her head until she thought she would scream.  Besides, she’d spent too many nights crying over the broken promises of the men in her life.  She had realised as soon as she got the test results that she would be forever tied to him, and that no matter what decision he made in respect of the baby, she would have to see him at least once, to tell him.  She hadn’t expected him to step up like this.  It made her think that perhaps, underneath the snobbery and the disdain he felt for his one-night stands, that he at least had _some_ morals.  Neal was a decent guy, after all.   _Oh God, Neal_!

“I guess we have a little time to think about this,” she muttered.  “Mostly I’m just freaking out about what Neal’s gonna say.”

Gold was silent for a moment.

“Do you want me to call him?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“I figure this is definitely a face-to-face thing,” she said.

“Then do you want me to come?”

 _That’s what caused this whole problem in the first fucking place!_  She bit back a burst of almost hysterical laughter, and ran a hand over her face.

“Sure,” she said tiredly.  “Why not?  He may as well get mad at both of us at once, right?”

“Hmm.”  Gold seemed amused.  “Very well.  Have you eaten lunch?”

Lacey shook her head, and he nodded.

“Let me cook you lunch,” he suggested.  “We’ll drive back to Boston afterwards.”

Lacey crossed back to pick up her tea, cupping it in her hands to feel its warmth.

“We can pick up a sandwich on the way,” she said, not wanting to spend any longer in this pretty house filled with beautiful things, in which she would never be truly welcome.

Gold eyed her calmly, but nodded.

“Very well,” he said coolly.  “I’ll telephone the diner and ask them to put something together.  We can pick it up on the way.”

“Great.”  She drained the tea, and put down her cup.  “I’ll wait by the car.”

“Lacey…”  He shook his head.  “Look, I understand that you’re upset, and you’re scared, and that you probably resent me because of what’s happened...”

“Brilliant deductions, Sherlock,” she said dryly.  “I can see why _you_ made it in life.”

Gold closed his eyes with a pained expression before flicking them open.

“...but I want us to get along,” he continued.  “I - I thought we _did_ get along, I don’t understand why you’ve been so hostile since we slept together.”

Lacey’s mouth fell open.

 _“Hostile?”_ she demanded.  “ _Me_ hostile?”

She stared at him, outraged, and he simply looked confused, which only made her angrier.

“Oh, forget it, Gold!” she snapped, glaring at him.  “We’ve decided on the basics, right?  I’ll carry your kid and give you whatever access you want when it’s born, okay?  Beyond that we’re done, so let’s go tell your son you knocked up his study-buddy, before this gets any _more_ uncomfortable.”

She stomped out, not bothering to wait for him, and slammed the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time, Lacey told Gold she was pregnant, and he offered to step up and help out, much to her astonishment. She was still under the impression that he thinks she's a trashy slut who's not worth his time, so she yelled at him for some time before they agreed to go and break the news to Neal. Here's what happened next

Lacey paced up and down by the Cadillac, the bright sunshine a strange counterpoint to her mood.  A red-haired man walking a Dalmatian smiled and nodded to her as he passed, and she glared at him, which made his throat bob.  Bloody small towns and their nosy inhabitants!  It occurred to her that Gold was bound to be the chief source of gossip for them all when they found out he’d gotten a college girl pregnant.  Perhaps him moving to Boston made sense after all.  She had yet to tell her father the news, and she was dreading it.  To have become everything he’d said she would: a college dropout and single mother, not married, no relationship with the father, no money and no prospects.  It was everything she had studied hard to avoid, and the thought made her desperately sad.

The sound of the door behind her made her spin around, and Gold surveyed her through dark glasses as he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt.  The tie was back on, the collar fastened, and she got the impression that the suit was like armour for him, a barrier between him and anything that might get under his skin.  A gold tie pin secured the length of royal blue silk, gleaming in the sunlight.  It made her long for his more relaxed look, tie off and shirt unbuttoned, a glimpse of his tanned chest and his forearms.  She licked her lips, shoving the inappropriate thoughts aside.  It was thinking like that that had gotten her into this mess in the first place.

Gold adjusted his cane and walked down the steps, opening up the passenger door for her.  She opened her mouth to tell him she was more than happy to sit in the back and not speak, but snapped it shut, getting in.  They would need to talk, after all, and she supposed that four hours of silence wasn’t the best way to develop a civil relationship with her baby’s father.   _Oh dear_ God _, I have a babydaddy!  I had a one-night stand with my friend’s dad and now I’m carrying his_ kid _!  I am every crappy daytime TV show I ever despised, what the_ hell _!_

Wincing, she slumped in the seat, pulling the belt around herself and remembering the last time she had been in this car, when she knew they were going back to his hotel for sex and fun and she had been happy and horny and hadn’t had a care in the world beyond passing her finals.  Life was an absolute bitch at times.

Gold pulled in at the diner on the way out of town, and she waited in the car while he picked up a paper bag containing a large sandwich made with thick slices of roast beef, mustard, fresh tomato and sliced pickles.  Lacey dug into it with a will, not realising how hungry she had been, her mouth watering at the sharp taste of the pickles.  She took another bite, chewing and swallowing, and for a few minutes there was silence as she ate.  He had two iced teas as well, sitting in their cardboard tray in the well between them, and she sucked some through a straw to cleanse her palate.

Gold had eaten nothing, but he drank some of the tea, setting it back before turning onto the freeway.  Lacey watched him, his knuckles clenching over the stick as the car picked up speed, sunlight glinting on the heavy ring he wore and the tiny golden hairs on his wrist.  She supposed she should try to be civil, since he was being so nice, despite how he felt about her.  It would make things easier in the future.  He was concentrating on the road ahead, and she ran her eyes over the hair that now just brushed the tips of his ears.  There was more silver in it, short as it was, but she liked that.  He glanced at her, the sunglasses hiding his eyes, and she blushed.

“You want some?” she asked, holding up the sandwich, and he shook his head.

“How is it?” he asked.

“Good pickles,” she admitted.  “It’s a pretty awesome sandwich, not gonna lie.”

Gold’s lips twitched as he watched the road.

“I’ll pass along your compliments to Mrs Lucas.”

She turned back to the sandwich, and there was more silence until she finished it, licking mustard from her thumb and wiping her hands on a napkin before shoving it in the paper bag.

“What’s it like, living in a small town?” she asked, and he glanced at her with a raised brow, as though he was surprised she had stopped yelling at him.

“It’s quiet,” he said.  “Peaceful.  The residents are neighbourly, except when they want a rent extension that I’m not prepared to give.  The countryside around is beautiful, although clearly I’m not so good on the rougher trails.  There are town fairs, and local food festivals, and people keep an eye on one another.  I suppose you would call it boring.”

“I don’t know,” she admitted.  “I’ve only ever known cities.  My dad moved us here from Melbourne when I was eight.”

“And where is he?”

“Boston,” she said, and he looked at her again.

“But you don’t live with him?”

Lacey pulled a face.

“Believe me, I took the first opportunity I could to get the hell out of there.  Not a great atmosphere to be studying in.  He likes to drink.”

“Right.”  He was silent for a moment.  “You haven’t told him, then?  About the baby?”

“Not yet.”  She covered her face with her hands, groaning a little.  “God, I’m not looking forward to that!”

“Well, we could go together, if you like,” he suggested, and she sighed.

“Let’s deal with Neal first,” she said gloomily.

* * *

They drove in silence for a while, and Lacey dozed in her seat, the sleepless nights since she had gotten the test results catching up with her.  It was a relief in a way, to have told him.  Particularly when he seemed to want so badly to help.  She had been scared and confused, and to have him actually offer to upend his entire life just to fit around her and the baby was beyond anything she had expected.  It almost made her feel safe.

She felt rested by the time they reached Boston, and Gold pulled into the university car park, turning off the engine and looking across at her.

“Alright?” he asked, and Lacey nodded.

“I guess,” she sighed, and glanced up at him.  “Look, thanks for keeping it together while I chewed your ass out.  One of us had to, right?  I felt like I was losing it completely.”

Gold nodded, smiling briefly, his eyes still hidden by the sunglasses.

“I think you’ve been under a lot of stress,” was all he said, and he opened the car door.

They walked across to the accommodation building, and Lacey enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face.  Students lounged on the grass outside, some reading, most simply talking and playing music, and she sighed to herself, jealous of their carefree happiness, and worrying over what was to come.  Her legs felt heavy as they mounted the stairs, but Gold moved awkwardly with his cane, and so they took it slowly.  Lacey stopped at the end of the corridor, eyeing Neal’s door, and jumped at the feel of Gold’s hand on her shoulder.  He let it rest there for a moment, and it was as though a wave of calm swept through her at his touch.

“It’ll be alright,” he said, and she nodded, striding forwards before she could lose her nerve, and knocking on the door with her fist: four sharp raps.  Her heart was in her throat as she heard movement behind it, and Gold stepped up next to her as the door opened.

“Hey, Lace,”  Neal looked out, scratching his head and looking sleepy.  “Dad?  What are you doing here?”

“Neal, may we come in?” asked Gold, his voice quiet, and Neal’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you guys screwing again?” he asked suspiciously.  “Please, could you keep it at the hotel?  I’m still trying to bleach my brain after the last time.”

“May we come in?” repeated Gold, and Neal shrugged, stepping back.

“Sure.  Me and Emma were just watching TV.”

He held open the door, letting them step inside, and Emma called a greeting from her place on the couch.  Lacey heard the door shut behind her, and shifted from foot to foot, casting a nervous glance at Gold.  He was looking at Neal, who was rubbing his eyes, as though he’d been dozing.  It was Emma that seemed to notice first that something was wrong.  Her eyes narrowed, and she switched off the TV with a click of the remote, standing up.

“What’s up, guys?” she asked, and Lacey opened and closed her mouth for a moment, no sound coming out.

“Lacey’s pregnant,” said Gold calmly.

There was a moment of heavy, ominous silence, and then Neal laughed somewhat uneasily, shaking a finger at his father.

“Okay, you almost had me!” he said, grinning.  “Nice try, Dad.”

Emma was watching Lacey, and her eyes widened.

“Holy _crap_ , you’re _serious_!” she said, and Neal blinked.

“Really?” he said, sounding incredulous.  “You’re - you’re not - kidding?”

“I’m not kidding,” said Gold.  “We certainly didn’t plan it this way, but it’s happened, and I intend to do everything I can to make the best of things.”

“The _best_ of things!” said Neal, his voice rising.  “Dad, what the _hell_?  You knocked up my best friend, what is _wrong_ with you?”

Lacey had a moment to feel pleased at being called Neal’s best friend, but then he turned to her.

“Jesus, Lace, are you okay?  Do you need to sit down?”

“For fuck’s sake, mate, I’m not sick!” she protested. lifting her arms and letting them fall.  “I’m pregnant!”

Neal rounded on Gold.

“Dad, how the hell could you _do_ this?” he demanded.  “After all those talks when I was like thirteen?  What, did you forget how to use a condom?”

“It’s not his fault!” interrupted Lacey, and then wondered why the hell she was defending him.

“Of course it’s his fault, it’s not like he _doesn’t know_!” said Neal, clearly furious.  “I don’t _believe_ this!”

“Okay, maybe we should calm down a little, hmm?” suggested Emma, and Neal ran his hands through his hair, turning away.

“We did use condoms,” said Gold, and Lacey couldn’t believe how calm his voice was.  “But it happened nonetheless, and I intend to do whatever I can that will best take care of my child, and of Lacey.”

 _My child_.  Lacey shuddered, the sound of him claiming the child they had created almost a turn-on.

Neal looked between them both.

“So does this mean you two are making a go of things?” he asked.

“No,” said Lacey automatically, and Gold closed his eyes.  She swallowed.  “We - we haven’t discussed what’s gonna happen,” she said.  That sounded better.  “There’s a lot we need to sort out before the baby comes, right?”

“When are you due?” asked Emma curiously, and Lacey pulled a face.

“January,” she said, and Emma winced.

“What about college?”

“I don’t know.”  Lacey began pacing.  “I guess I’ll do what I can.”

“We can discuss that later,” said Gold.  “But we wanted to tell you in person first.”

Neal was looking shell-shocked, and Lacey nudged him with an elbow.

“Hey,” she said.  “Are we cool?”

“What?”  He ran a hand through his hair again.  “Yeah, I really need to process this…”

“Of course.”  Gold shot Lacey a brief look.  “Why don’t I go and check into a hotel?  We - we could meet for dinner, if you like.”

“I guess.”

Neal shrugged, and Lacey stood awkwardly with her arms folded around herself.  Emma kept shooting glances between the three of them, and Gold sighed.

“I’ll call you later, then,” he said heavily, and let himself out of the room.  The door closing sounded very loud, and Lacey cringed a little.

“Whoa,” remarked Emma.  “Awkward.”

“Sorry,” muttered Lacey, and Emma sighed.

“Not you, honey, the situation.”  She tugged at Neal’s sleeve.  “Come on, let’s get out of here, get some air.  Can you drink coffee, Lacey?”

“I guess, but honestly it makes me nauseous,” said Lacey gloomily.  “Better stick with tea.”

“Okay, let’s go get the hot beverage of your choice, and we can talk this through,” suggested Emma.

The three of them traipsed out of the room, making their way downstairs and walking slowly across the rolling grass towards the nearest coffee shop.  Lacey frowned as she walked, and Neal glanced across at her.

“So, do I have to call you Mom?” he asked, with a tiny grin, and she shoved him.

“Shut up!  It’s not like that.”

“So I saw,” said Emma.

“Oh God, this is a _nightmare_!” grumbled Lacey, and Emma shrugged.

“At least your babydaddy has money.  Could have been worse.  No offence, Neal.”

“None taken,” said Neal.  “I can’t _believe_ he did this!  After everything he used to say to me!”

“I think it’s hilarious that you get to give your dad ‘the talk’,” chuckled Emma, and put a hand on Lacey’s arm.  “Oh, sorry honey, are we being insensitive?”

“Yeah, are you sure you’re okay?” asked Neal.  “Must have been a shock.”

“The biggest,” admitted Lacey.  “I made them run the test three times.  Amazed you didn’t hear me yelling.”

“What about Dad?” asked Neal.  “Did he yell when you told him?”

Lacey shook her head.

“He was so calm,” she said.  “He actually said he wants the baby, that he’ll help look after it so I can finish college.”

“Well, that’s good!” said Emma, and Lacey pulled a face.

“It’s weird, is what it is,” she grumbled.  “ _No one’s_ that calm when you give them life-changing news.  Maybe it just hasn’t sunk in yet.”

“Maybe he was serious,” said Emma, and she shrugged.

“Plus, Dad really likes kids,” added Neal.  “So there’s that, I guess.”

Lacey stopped suddenly, pressing hands to her face, her expression stricken.

“Oh my God, I don’t even know his first _name_!” she groaned, digging her fingertips into her cheeks.  “What the hell is _that_ about?”

“What have you been calling him, then?” asked Emma, looking amused, and Lacey hesitated.

“Gold,” she said finally.  “Although actually most of the names I’ve been calling him today haven’t been complimentary, gotta say.”

Emma snickered, and nudged Neal.

“Come on, help a girl out, here.”

“How the fuck could I have sex with someone over and over and not even learn their first _name_?” Lacey went on, looking mortified.  “Like what the hell is _wrong_ with me?

“His name’s Rufus,” said Neal, and she rolled her eyes.

“Oh my God, that’s like a _dog’s_ name!” she moaned.

“Can’t disagree,” remarked Emma, and Neal sighed.

“”It’s an old family name,” he said patiently.  “Look, Lace, what gives?  I thought you two liked each other.  I know he likes _you_.”

“Yeah, right,” she said morosely, and Neal scratched the back of his head, looking puzzled.

“He asked me to give you his number, remember?” he said.  “He wanted you to come to dinner with us last time he was in town.”

“You missed a kick-ass steak,” put in Emma.

“Look, just because he wants to sleep with me doesn’t mean he likes me,” Lacey pointed out.  “He probably has a different girl every time he comes to town.”

“Whoa.”  Neal ran a hand over his face.  “Look, you couldn’t be more wrong.  He’s not like that.”

“Well, if _that’s_ the case, how come he’s such a bloody demon in the sack?” she demanded, and Neal held up both hands in alarm.

“No details, no details!” he protested.

“Maybe you’re just really compatible,” suggested Emma.  “I mean it sounded that way.  He was having as much fun as you, from what we heard.”

“Would you stop reminding me of that?” moaned Neal, looking pained, and Emma chuckled.

“Neal, you’re gonna have a little brother or sister that’s gonna be reminding you of that for _years_!” she said, and Lacey sighed despondently.

“Oh God,” she said.  “We’re going to have to do the whole Christmas and birthdays thing, aren’t we?  Awkward handovers and pretending to be civil for the sake of the kid.”

“Or,” said Neal patiently.  “You could just come to dinner too and we could all get along.”

Lacey muttered something under her breath, and Neal rolled his eyes.

“Look, I’m telling you he _likes_ you,” he said.  “He doesn’t sleep around, as far as I know, and he _likes_ you.  So why do you think there’s gonna be a problem?”

Lacey opened her mouth for an angry retort, and then snapped it shut.  It was natural that he would want to think the best of his father, after all.  Emma eyed her curiously.

“Honey, what is it that makes you say he doesn’t like you?” she asked, and Lacey pulled a face.

“I - heard him,” she admitted.  “The morning after I stayed over.  He was talking on the phone in the hotel lounge, talking about having company.”

“Go on,” said Neal, and she shifted uncomfortably, the memory making her squirm.

“He - called me a piece of trash,” she said stiffly.  “That I was barely worth his time.”  She lifted her chin.  “An - an exhilarating ride, but not _suitable_ for a man of his position.  Or some other bollocks.”

Emma winced.  “Ouch.”

“Something about dealing with his midlife crisis in his own way,” she added.  “That was it.”

“Yeah, that would make _me_ mad enough to chew through walls,” Emma agreed, and looked at Neal.  “What do you think?”

Neal shook his head.

“I still don’t see it,” he said.  “I can tell he likes you, he wouldn’t say something like that about someone he likes.  Not that I think you’re lying,” he added hastily.  “It’s just not who he is.”

Emma tilted her head a little, frowning.

“Are you sure it _was_ about you?”

“Who else could it have been about?” demanded Lacey.

“Well, did he mention your name?” asked Emma, and Lacey hesitated, rifling through her memories.

“I - no, I don’t think so,” she admitted.  “But…”

“So you heard one half of a conversation and you don’t know who he was talking to?” said Emma flatly, and Lacey opened and closed her mouth.

“Um....” she said. “Yeah?”

“And you drew your own conclusions based on that one half and decided he doesn’t like you?”

“I…” Lacey grimaced, feeling awkward.  “Um - yeah?”

“And did you actually _tell_ him any of this and get his explanation?”

“I - well - I…” stuttered Lacey, and Emma nodded.

“You bailed, huh?” she said understandingly.  “What about when you told him about the baby?”

Lacey winced.  “I - I guess I yelled _something_ at him, I don’t really remember.”

“And how did he look?” asked Emma, and Lacey screwed up her nose.

“Confused…” she said, a sinking feeling slipping into the depths of her belly and weighing her down.

“Oh, for the love of…”  Emma rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips.  “Neal, you and me are gonna sort this out, okay?  Ask your dad who he was talking to and if he remembers what it was about.”

“On it.”  

Neal strode away, and Lacey sat down on the grass with a thump.

“Shit,” she said, with feeling. 

* * *

Neal managed to catch up with Gold just as he was walking to the car, and shouted to get his attention.

“Lacey thinks you don’t like her,” he said in a rush, and Gold sighed.

“Yes, I gathered that much,” he said.  “She said something about me thinking she was trash, I don’t understand it.”

“I think I do,” said Neal.  “She overheard you on the phone to someone the morning after she stayed over.  She thinks you were talking about her.”

“On the phone?”  Gold looked puzzled.  “I don’t remember.”

“Look, can we sit in the car?” asked Neal patiently.  “Why not call Ariel?  She might know.  It was probably her, anyway.”

“Probably,” agreed Gold, and unlocked the car.

Once he and Neal were seated, he put the phone on speaker to call Ariel.  She answered in her usual chirpy way, and Gold asked her if she could remember speaking to him early in the morning six weeks previously.

“I’ll have made a note if I did,” she said thoughtfully.  “I always write down what you agree, so you can’t say you didn’t afterwards.”

Neal shot his father an amused and knowing look, and Gold rolled his eyes.

“Your faith in my memory is charming,” he said.  “Have you found it?”

“Give me a chance!”  They could hear the rustle of pages, and a low murmuring.  “Ah!  Here we are!  Yes, I called you early in the morning when I was going through all those draft contracts, remember?”

“Vaguely,” said Gold, frowning.  “What did we discuss?”

“The loan on Leroy’s boat,” she said promptly.  “You remember?  He wanted to borrow five thousand and secure it against _Dwarf Star_ , and you said she…”

“I said she was a piece of trash,” sighed Gold, rubbing a hand over his face.  “Of course.  Anything else?”

“Um - I told you about August offering you first dibs on his motorbike,” she added.  “You said no, that it wasn’t suitable for a man of your reputation, but that it was ‘an exhilarating ride’.  I wrote that down to tell him, and he thought it was cute.  He sold it to Dr Whale in the end, you know.”

“Thank you, Ariel,” said Gold heavily.  “You’ve been most helpful.”

“Anytime!” she said brightly, and he hung up, turning to Neal.

“So that’s what she heard,” said Neal.  “Jesus.”

“In which case I can understand her anger,” said Gold.  “Of course, it would have helped if she’d actually talked to me about it at the time.  This whole mess could have been cleared up straight away, I don’t understand why she just left.”

“Because people have been calling her trash for years, doofus,” said Neal.  “Deep down she may even believe it.  Her dad’s a piece of work, you know.  Gets drunk and calls her every name under the sun.”

“She mentioned that they don’t get along,” said Gold quietly.  “I didn’t realise that meant she cared what he thought.”

“He’s still family,” said Neal patiently.  “Dad, I know Lacey comes across as someone who doesn’t give a crap what people think, but she really _does_.  Especially people she cares about.”

Gold sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I’m not entirely sure this isn’t all a dream,” he said.  “When I woke up this morning it was just another day, and now I have a child on the way with a woman who thinks I despise her.”

“Well, the second part can be fixed,” said Neal firmly, and Gold looked at him.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked.  “I realise it’s a lot to take in.  I haven’t completely taken it in myself.”

“Eh, it’s not like I’ll have to change diapers or suffer sleepless nights,” said Neal, in an offhand tone.  “You get that pleasure.  Have fun!”

“Thank you,” said Gold dryly.

There was silence for a moment.

“So - do you want me to go and get Lacey?” asked Neal, and Gold hesitated.

“No,” he said.  “By all means explain what happened, but I don’t want her to feel pressured into speaking to me before she’s ready.”

“So what are you gonna do?” asked Neal.

“I’m going to check into _The Avonlea_ ,” said Gold.  “You can tell her where I’m staying.  If she wants to talk, that’s where I’ll be.”

* * *

By the time Neal found Emma and Lacey, they had made it to the coffee shop, and Lacey was sitting with her hands around a large mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon.  A half-eaten chocolate muffin sat on a plate in front of her, dark crumbs scattered on the table.  Neal sat down to explain what she had overheard that morning, and Lacey’s expression turned from suspicious to uncomfortable to mortified.

“Oh _God_!” she groaned, hanging her head.  “I’m an _idiot_!  He must hate me!”

“Of course he doesn’t,” said Neal.  “He knows it was a mistake.  Why don’t you go and talk to him?”

“Because I’ll probably end up swallowing my own fucking foot or something,” she grumbled.  “I bloody well _should_.  Why the hell do I have to open my mouth and let words come out?”

“Look, no one’s gonna make you talk to him today,” Neal assured her.  “But you’ll have to at some point.  He knows it was a mistake, he’s not gonna ride your ass.”

“Unless you’re into that,” put in Emma, and giggled as Neal and Lacey shot her identical looks.

“At least you know what he thinks, right?” added Neal, and Lacey shook her head.

“All I know is that he didn’t say I was a piece of trash,” she said.  “I don’t know what he _actually_ thinks of me, and you’re right, I’m gonna have to talk to him, so I guess there’s no time like the present for looking like a fucking idiot.”

“Want us to give you a ride?” asked Emma, sympathy in her voice, and Lacey sighed and nodded.

“Let’s get this over with,” she said resignedly.  “One serving of apology pie, please.  All the trimmings.  And a side-order of ‘sorry I called you a dickhead’.”

“Yeah, we’ll get that to go,” said Emma, chuckling, and squeezed her shoulder.  “Come on, honey.  Drink up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the final chapter - there will be smut!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! I told you I'd fix things!

Lacey grumbled under her breath as the elevator took her up to the top floor of the hotel.  Gold had the same suite as the last time she had been here, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.  It was almost as though the six weeks of feeling like she wasn’t fit for him to wipe his shoes on were a bad dream.  Sighing to herself, she stomped along the corridor to his suite and knocked on the door before she could lose her nerve.  There was a moment or two before the lock rattled, and she waited, her heart in her mouth.

Gold opened the door, blinking in surprise when he saw her, and Lacey took a deep breath.

“You - um - you weren’t talking about me,” she said, and his mouth twitched.

“No,” he said.

“You were - you were talking about a boat,” she added.

“Yes.”

“A boat called _Dwarf Star_ , apparently.”

“So it would seem,” he said.

“And a bike.  Owned by someone called August, which is a weird-ass name, but that’s really not the point.”

His mouth worked, as though he was trying not to laugh.

“Yes.”

Lacey shrugged uncomfortably.

“So…” she said.  “Turns out I’m a bloody idiot.”

Gold smiled.

“There are many words I would use to describe you, Lacey,” he said.  “‘Idiot’ isn’t one of them.”

“No, I _am_.”  She pushed open the door, striding into the room and spinning to face him as he closed it.  “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.  And I’m sorry I called you a dickhead and an arsehole and whatever the hell else I called you.”

“No need to apologise,” he said, his fingers twitching on the handle of his cane.  She got the impression that he was deeply amused, and trying not to show it.  “Would you like some tea?”

“Okay.”

He turned away, striding towards the walnut dresser, upon which sat a teapot and cups, and Lacey watched as he flicked on the kettle and began to prepare the tea.  All those weeks of misery, and he had been talking to his assistant about a fucking _boat_!  She felt utterly ridiculous.

“I can understand why you reacted the way you did,” he said over his shoulder.  “I suppose, hearing only one side of a conversation, it would be easy to jump to the wrong conclusions.”

“Yeah.”  She watched him pour boiling water into the pot.  “Jumped at ‘em with both feet and rolled around in the damn things.  Good thing your assistant keeps notes, I guess.”

“Indeed.”  Gold put the lid on the pot, and she chewed her lip.

“Did you ever sleep with her?” she asked suddenly, and he turned with a quizzical look.  “The redhead,” she added.

“Miss _Fisher_?”  Gold looked incredulous.  “Good Lord, no!  Her girlfriend would cut my heart out with a spoon if I even tried, not that I ever would.”

“Oh.”  Well, now she felt even _more_ ridiculous.  “Are you - are you still mad at me?”

“What makes you think I was mad at you?”

“Why wouldn’t you be?”

Gold glanced at her over his shoulder.

“Because you were scared, and upset, and it’s entirely understandable that you acted in the way that you did, given the information you had.”

He turned back to the tea, and she shifted from foot to foot, feeling restless, and almost wishing he wasn’t so fucking reasonable.  She was pleased to have apologised and to have him accept so quickly, but there were still insecurities nagging at her, tiny needles of self-doubt burrowing beneath her skin.  She had to know.

“ _Quid pro quo_ ,” she said aloud, and he turned on the balls of his feet, raising his head a little.

“I’m sorry?”

“When we first met, you offered a _quid pro quo_ ,” she said.  “One honest answer in return for another.  Do you remember?”

Gold smiled briefly.  “I do.”

“Okay then,” she said.  “I’m willing.  Are you?”

He set down the spoon in his hand, settling into his stance.

“Very well.”

“Right,” she said.  “Okay.  Well then.  I guess I’ll go first.”  She took a deep breath, dreading his response.  “What - what do you really think of me?”

Gold smiled.

“I think you’re remarkable,” he said quietly.  “A force of nature.  And far stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

She snorted under her breath at that, but it only seemed to amuse him.

“My turn,” he said, and took a step closer.  “Why were you so quick to think I had no regard for you?”

Lacey shifted awkwardly.

“Because when I heard you speak that day,” she said uncomfortably.  “All you did was repeat everything I’d ever thought about myself.  Everything I’ve always been told.  That I was a piece of trash.  That I wasn’t worth your time. _Anyone’s_ time.”

“Oh, Lacey,” he breathed, taking a step forward.  “Why didn’t you just talk to me?”

She shrugged.

“I dunno,” she confessed.  “Because that would have been, like, sensible?”

He was very close now, and she could smell him, his scent drifting in the air and pulling her to him.  She wanted to touch him, to fall into his arms and rest her head on his chest.  To have him hold her and tell her everything was going to be fine.  Tears pricked her eyes, and she drew a deep, uneven breath.

“How - how do you really feel?” she asked softly.  “About the baby, I mean?”

“I’m happy,” he said immediately.  “A little scared, but happy.  You?”

“Scared,” she admitted, flicking her eyes up to his.  “Terrified, if you want the truth.  But - but I think I _could_ be happy about it, when I’ve gotten used to the idea.  It’s not exactly great timing.”

“Children have no respect for timing,” he said dryly.  “Or privacy, for that matter.  As you’ll discover.”

“I guess,” she sighed.  “I just - I don’t want to fail at this, do you get that?  My upbringing was crappy, and I don’t want to make the same mistakes my dad made.”

Gold nodded slowly, pursing his lips.

“My upbringing was also crappy,” he said.  “My father was neglectful, and abusive, and I haven’t spoken to him in years.  When Neal was on the way, I made a conscious decision that I wasn’t going to be that kind of parent.  It sounds as though you want to do the same.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, and he nodded.

“In which case, this child will have two loving and supportive parents,” he said gently, and she closed her eyes, squeezing out tears.

Gold reached up to touch her cheek, and she bit her lip, enjoying the feel of his fingers on her skin.

“We’ll make it work,” he said softly.  “Whatever happens, we’ll do what’s best for the child.  I promise.”

She nuzzled his palm, and he laid his cane against the couch, reaching up to cup her face with both hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears that had fallen.  Lacey sucked in a breath, staring into his dark eyes.  She wondered if their child would be like him, calm and reserved with eyes the colour of warm, damp earth.  Or perhaps like her, fiery and impulsive, its eyes the clear blue of a mountain lake.  He pressed his brow to hers, and she shuddered, feeling her hands rise up to sit at his waist, his warmth seeping into her.  It was a relief when he kissed her, his lips finding hers and pressing softly.  She clung to him, pulling him close, six weeks of resentment and self-doubt washing away as his tongue slipped into her mouth.

It felt good to be kissed, to be held, and she melted into him for a moment, some of the tension leaving her as his arms went around her and pulled her close.  Gold gently teased her mouth with his tongue, and she remembered how it had felt between her legs, her abdomen clenching with arousal at the memory.  He pulled back, kissing her forehead and letting her go.

“That was nice,” she whispered, and glanced up at him.  He was smiling at her, his eyes warm and soft, a tenderness in his gaze.  She licked her lips.

“I guess - I guess we need to talk about what’s going to happen,” she said.  “When the baby comes.  You said you’d move to Boston.”

“If that would make things easier for you,” he said.  “What do you think?”

“It would mean I could go back to college,” she admitted.  “If you’re serious about helping to look after the baby, I mean.”

“I’m very serious,” he said, and she hesitated, almost unwilling to ask the question she most wanted answered, in case he broke her heart.

“And what about me?” she asked.  “What about us?   _Is_ there an us?”

Gold looked at her, and reached up to brush a tendril of dark hair behind her ear.

“I think there could be,” he said finally.  “If you want it, of course.  I want to make it - _us_ \- work for the baby.  What that means for us - well, I don’t know.  I suppose we can figure it out as we go, but I’m more than willing to try.”

“Try,” she said.  “To be - to be together, you mean?”

“If that’s what you want, yes.”

She stared at him for a moment, barely able to process what she was hearing.

“You - you want to _be_ with me?” she said.  “I mean _actually_ be with me, not just fucking?”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“Well…”  She wanted to say ‘yes’, but somehow she didn’t think he’d accept it.  “We’re very different,” she said lamely, and he grinned.

“Maybe that’s why the sex is so explosive.”

Lacey shot him an amused look.

“Okay, you got me there,” she agreed.  “What about the rest?  I’m like half your age.”

“Oh, at least,” he agreed cheerfully, a wicked glint in his eyes.

“And that doesn’t _bother_ you?” she asked.

“Does it bother you?”

“No, but…”

“Well, then,” he said, and she stared at him.  Gold sighed.

“Lacey, I like you,” he said.  “Very much.  You - excite me.  I think life with you would be something of an adventure.”

“We’ll see how you feel when the three a.m. feeds start,” she remarked.

“I look forward to it.”

Lacey rolled her eyes.

“I’m still in college,” she pointed out.  “With your adult son, I might add.  Aren’t you worried what people will think?”

“I couldn’t give a rat’s arse what people think,” he said simply, and she chuckled.

“Neal’s gonna _freak_ ,” she said, with feeling.

“Neal is an adult, and he doesn’t get to pick my partner,” he said.  “At least I know he likes you, so that’s one potential source of awkwardness out of the way.”

“You’re really a glass-half-full kinda guy, aren’t you?” she remarked, and he showed his teeth.

“I try to look for opportunities, if that’s what you mean.”

“Wanna take one now?”

She enjoyed surprising him, she realised.  His brows shot up, but then a slow smile spread across his face.

“And what about the tea?”

“It’ll keep.”

“It really won’t, you know.”

“Well, bugger the tea then,” she said, lifting her chin, and his grin widened.

“Alright.”

He held out his hand, and she took it, her palm sliding across his.  Gold picked up his cane again, pulling her towards the bedroom with him, and Lacey followed, excitement fluttering in her belly.  The bed looked just as she remembered, and she longed to get him naked and lay him down and enjoy every last inch of him.  She shut the door behind them, pushing it to with her rear, and Gold shrugged off his jacket and waistcoat, watching her.  She pulled off her jacket, throwing it over the back of the chair, and let down her hair so that it tumbled around her shoulders.  Gold smiled, stepping closer and putting his hands on her shoulders.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked softly, and she nodded, meeting his eyes.

“Please,” was all she said.

He bent to kiss her then, drawing her close against him, and Lacey moaned into his mouth, pressing her body to his to feel the heat from him.  He pulled back, and his fingers began plucking at the buttons of her shirt, opening it up to reveal her small breasts in the black lace bra.  He pulled the shirt from her as she began tugging at the knot of his tie, drawing it from around his neck and throwing it aside.  She began unbuttoning the shirt as he cupped her breasts, moaning again as he squeezed her, and Gold reached around to unhook the bra.

Lacey let the bra fall, and he let out a low rumble of pleasure at the sight of her, his fingers dancing over the smooth skin of her breasts.  She had managed to get his shirt open, and slid her hands inside, touching hot skin, breathing in his scent.  He kissed her again, his tongue sliding into her mouth, and Lacey gasped, tugging at his belt until she got it open, kicking off her shoes.  He unzipped her skirt, letting it fall to the floor, and she pressed herself against him in nothing but her tiny powder-blue panties.  Gold ran his hands over her rear, tugging her close, and she teased his tongue with hers, wanting him naked, wanting him inside her.

They shuffled a little awkwardly, and Gold laid her down on the bed, sitting down beside her to tug off his shoes and socks and take off his pants.  She watched him turn to her in his underwear, and reached up to touch his chest, trailing her fingers across his skin, reaching up to stroke through his short hair, watching it catch the light as it slipped between her fingers.  It occurred to her that there would be no need for a condom, that she would feel every bit of him, and the thought excited her.  She moaned as his mouth fastened over her right breast, arching up into him as he sucked at her taut nipple, his fingers plucking at the other, his tongue soft and wet against her.  Gold moved lower, looking up for a moment to meet her eyes before pressing a reverent kiss to her belly, as though he could already sense their child growing within, and she felt tears sting her eyes again.  He slid a hand down over her belly and beneath the waistband of the panties, and Lacey moaned as his finger gently stroked through the wetness he found there, teasing her tender flesh.

“God, you feel so _good_!” he whispered.

To her regret, he withdrew his hand, pulling down the panties and drawing them off at her feet, but then he began kissing upwards, starting at her toes, his lips trailing over her skin, and she closed her eyes, her lips parting.  She remembered their last encounter, when his hair had brushed against her, caressing her as he kissed his way between her thighs and then licked her to climax.  A part of her missed the long hair, but he was so handsome like this, his hair gleaming silver in the light.  His tongue flickered out, stroking against the inside of her knee, and she sucked in a breath as he moved higher, his lips soft and warm.  Gold shifted position, his lips pulling at the soft skin of her thighs, and Lacey sighed in pleasure as he drew nearer to where she wanted him, his tongue stroking across her skin.  

His stubble was starting to come through, and there was a pleasant scratching sensation from his chin as he let his tongue trail up the seam of her leg.  She was breathing heavily, waiting for him to reach his prize, and she let out a cry as his tongue touched her, sweeping through her slippery fluids, circling the hard bud of her clit.  Gold groaned deeply, fingers grasping her hips as he licked her, and Lacey arched her back at the feel of him, pleasure coursing through her.

He slipped a finger inside her, pushing deep, and Lacey moaned, opening her legs a little wider as his tongue swirled and teased.  The feeling of being penetrated as he licked her added to the sensations, making her cheeks flush and her breath quicken.  He began to rub her with his thumb, the pad stroking over her clit in between flicks of his tongue, and she let out a cry, hands dropping to comb through his hair.  It was almost too much, enough to make her want to burst, the blood pounding in her head, tiny moans coming from her with every touch.  Gold kept up the rhythm, the flat of his tongue sweeping over her skin, the scrape of his stubble causing delicious friction, and she threw back her head, holding her breath as she felt her climax build.

She came hard, her torso lifting up off the bed as she let out a loud cry of ecstasy, and Gold groaned against her skin as he licked at her, his tongue pushing inside her.  She continued to let out her little cries of bliss, jerking and twitching, and Gold pressed kisses to her, letting his finger slip from her.  He kissed his way up her body, spreading her juices, her scent, his lips pulling at the soft skin of her abdomen.  Lacey stroked his hair, almost panting in her desire for him, her cheeks flushed and pink and sweat beading on her lip as his face drew level with hers.  Gold kissed her hungrily, the taste of her still on his tongue, his skin damp and sticky with her fluids, and she pushed up into him, her fingers raking across his scalp before she let her head drop and their lips part.

“Wow,” she whispered, and he sent her a heavy-eyed, slanting grin.

For a moment they both caught their breath, and Lacey thought about how things could be between them, if he was serious about making it work.  She wondered whether they would move in together, and if he would wake her up this way, slipping beneath the bedcovers on a Sunday morning and licking her into a frenzy before the baby woke.  Fucking her hard in the bed and making her scream loud enough for the neighbours to hear.  She wanted it, a life with someone.  A family that she actually felt part of.  Surely it had to be possible.

Her fingers danced across his face, mapping the contours, tracing the fine lines around his eyes and mouth, and he watched her with what looked like fond amusement.

“I missed you,” he said quietly, and she swallowed hard.

“I - actually missed you too,” she admitted, and he grinned again, reaching down between them to line them up.

He slid inside her slowly, sinking deep, letting out a tiny groan of pleasure as he did so, and she lifted her knees, letting him fill her, loving the feel of him inside her.  It made her realise how right he felt, how much she wanted him, and she slid her hands around his back, gripping his shoulders as he began to thrust.  She moaned, raising her hips a little to allow him deeper, wanting all of him, and Gold groaned along with her, heat and friction where their bodies joined.  He felt so good there, so _right_ , as though she had always been his, and he hers.  They moved as one, wet and hot and the scent of fresh sweat and musk.  The press of bodies and the tangle of limbs.  The heavy throb of his pulse beneath her tongue, and the taste of salt on his skin.

“God, Lacey!” he gasped, and she moaned again, clinging to him.  “Oh fuck, I can’t hold this!”

“Please!” she gasped, and he quickened his pace, rubbing against her, bringing her to the edge with him.

Gold let out a hoarse cry, coming hard, his cock pulsing inside her, a rush of heat sweeping through her, and Lacey fell with him, crying out wordlessly, pumping her hips against his.  He pushed his hands through her hair, kissing her messily, the scent of her arousal still on his fingers, and she let her tongue flicker across the inside of his lips, tasting the sweetness of him, her nails digging into the hot skin of his back.  Gold pulled back, panting, and for a moment the only sound was their ragged breathing, the air filled with heat and lust.

Lacey swallowed, her throat dry, and Gold grinned at her, his expression lazy.

“Whoa,” she said with feeling.

“Indeed.”

He kissed her again and she melted into him, enjoying the feel of him inside her, even as he was growing soft.  She reached up to stroke his cheek, ruffling his hair.

“So we make a go of it,” she said, and he smiled.

“I think it’s worth a try, don’t you?”

“Yes.”  She continued to stroke his hair, chewing her lip.  “You know, I’ve never been very good at families.  Or relationships.  Or - well - basic human interaction.”

“I think you put yourself down far too much,” he said softly, and she shrugged.

“I’m just saying that Lacey in a meaningful relationship will be kind of a work in progress,” she said.  “It may take a while.”

Gold grinned, his eyes soft and warm, and stroked her cheek with a long finger.

“That’s okay,” he said.  “I can wait.”


End file.
